LIBRARY 


UN»V   *SITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


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I    v/v          (  4  I  <o 


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IN  WINTER 


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THE  EXPERIENCES  OF  A  SCIENTIFIC  EXPEDITION 

UPON  THE  HIGHEST  MOUNTAIN  IN  NEW 

ENGLAND  — 1870-71 


'  The  Lord  hath  his  way  in  the  whirlwind  and  in  the  storm,  and  the  clouds  are  the 
dust  of  his  feet." 

"  There  are  two  voices ;  one  is  of  the  sea,  one  of  the  mountains ;  each  a  mighty 
voice." 


BOSTON 
CHICK  AND  ANDREWS 

21  FRANKLIN  STREET 
1871 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

CHICK   &  ANDREWS, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


RIVERSIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTYPED  AND  PRINTED  BT 

n.  o.  HouanTON  AND  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


ALL  who  have  been  connected  with  the  Mount 
Washington  Expedition  have  contributed  to  the 
preparation  of  this  book.  They  address  these 
pages,  as  their  Official  Report,  to  those  friends  who 
furnished  the  means  for  establishing  this  Arctic 
Observatory,  whose  names  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix. 

C.  H.  Hitchcock  has  prepared  the  first  four 
chapters  and  Part  IV. 

J.  H.  Huntington  has  prepared  Chapters  V., 
VII.,  VIII.,  XI.,  XII.,  Part  III.,  the  first  and  con- 
cluding portions  of  Chapter  VI.,  and  the  first  three 
pages  of  Chapter  X. 

S.  A.  Nelson  has  prepared  Chapters  XIII.  and 
XIV. 

A.  F.  Clough  has  prepared  a  part  of  Chapter 
IX. 

H.  A.  Kimball  has   prepared   the   "  Ascent  of 


IV 


PREFACE. 


November  30  "  in  Chapter  VI.  and  the  balance  of 
Chapter  IX. 

Theodore  Smith  has  prepared  Chapter  X. 

The  mountain  was  visited  in  the  winter  and 
spring  by  Mr.  L.  L.  Holden,  of  the  "  Boston  Jour- 
nal," who  has  kindly  contributed  Chapter  XV. 

Each  author  is  responsible  for  the  subject-matter 
of  the  chapters  here  credited  to  him ;  as  much  so  as 
if  there  were  as  many  separate  books  as  there  are 
authors. 


CONTENTS. 
PART  I. 

PRELIMINARY. 

CHAPTER  I.  PAQB 

EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
PHYSICAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS        .        .      24 

CHAPTER  III. 
EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS 36 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON     ....      60 

CHAPTER  V. 
MOOSILAUKB .       ^       .       .87 

PART  n. 

THE  EXPEDITION  AT  WORK 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  ASCENT  OF  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER         .        .    101 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  LOOK  NORTHWARD  AND  EASTWARD 118 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGE 

A  LOOK  SOUTHWARD  AND  WESTWARD 126 

CHAPTER  IX. 
PHOTOGRAPHING 132 

CHAPTER  X. 
TELEGRAPHING 146 

CHAPTER  XI. 
LIFE  AT  THE  SUMMIT 155 

CHAPTER  XII. 
JOURNAL  FROM  OCTOBER  TO  DECEMUKK 163 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
JOURNAL  CONTINUED .  169 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
JOURNAL  CONCLUDED 208 

CHAPTER  XV. 
MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY 251 

PART  III. 

METEOROLOGY. 
INTRODUCTION 281 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  FROSTWORK  AND  CLOUDS 285 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  WIND 293 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
STORMS 301 


CONTENTS.  vii 
CHAPTER  'XIX. 

PAGE 

METEOROLOGICAL  RECOUD .  309 

PART  IV. 

WHAT  THE  WOULD  SAID  OF  us 345 

APPENDIX 358 


PAET  FIRST. 

PRELIMINARY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

* 

EARLY    HISTORY   OF   THE    EXPEDITION. 

ARLY  in  the  summer  of  1858,  a  party  of 
geologists  started  in  a  skiff  from  Burling- 
ton, Vermont,  and  gradually  made  their 
way  up  Lake  Champlain  to  Whitehall,  New  York, 
stopping  at  every  promontory  and  island  to  examine 
the  strata.  The  expedition  was  organized  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Vermont  Geological  Survey,  of 
which  the  late  President  Edward  Hitchcock,  of 
Amherst,  Massachusetts,  was  the  responsible  head. 
The  leader  of  the  party  was  C.  H.  Hitchcock,  one 
of  the  assistants. 

Two  college  students,  who  had  just  finished  their 

course   of  study  at  Amherst,  joined  the  party  for 

the  sake  of  learning  something  of  practical  geology. 

These  were  George  S.  Grosvenor  and  J.  H.  Hun- 

i 


2         EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

tington.  The  latter  gentleman  had  visited  the 
White  Mountains  in  1856  and  1857,  and  was  very 
enthusiastic  in  his  descriptions  of  the  sights  and  ex- 
periences of  that  elevated  region.  The  question  was 
raised  by  Mr.  Huntington  whether  it  would  be  pos- 
sible to  spend  a  winter  upon  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  and  he  expressed  his  willingness  to 
make  the  experiment  in  company  with  a  classmate, 
Mr.  James  Collins.  He  subsequently  addressed  a 
letter  to  Professor  Joseph  Henry,  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  asking  whether 
the  Institution  could  not  advance  the  funds  neces- 
sary for  the  undertaking,  as  his  friend  and  himself 
were  willing  to  make  the  attempt  to  remain  on  the 
summit  all  winter.  A  very  kind  letter  was  received 
in  reply,  showing  a  high  appreciation  of  the  subject, 
but  declining  to  undertake  the  enterprise  at  that 
time,  on  account  of  the  many  obstacles  in  the  way. 
In  a  few  weeks,  C.  H.  Hitchcock  visited  the  White 
Mountains  for  the  first  time.  He  found  a  report 
very  common  among  the  guides  and  frequenters  of 
the  hotels,  that  the  Smithsonian  Institution  had 
offered  a  thousand  dollars  to  any  one  who  would 
spend  a  winter  upon  the  summit  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  meteorological  observations.  Others  said 
that  a  firm  in  Boston  had  offered  five  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  same  object,  with  the  avowed  purpose 
of  publishing  the  journal  of  the  observers'  experi- 


TIP-TOP  HOUSE  APPLIED  FOR.  3 

ences,  expecting  to  be  reimbursed  for  the  large  ex- 
penditure by  the  sale  of  the  books.  Knowing  Mr. 
Huntington's  wishes,  Mr.  Hitchcock  addressed  a 
letter  to  Professor  Henry,  stating  the  existence  of 
the  report  mentioned  above,  and  adding  that  two 
yery  capable  young  men  were  ready  and  anxious  to 
undertake  the  enterprise.  No  answer  was  received, 
and  the  project  shortly  passed  out  of  mind.  Even 
to  the  present  time,  people  at  the  mountains  insist 
that  somebody  has  offered  a  very  large  sum  for  the 
purpose  now  accomplished  by  the  Mount  Washing- 
ton Expedition.  In  our  efforts  to  raise  funds,  every 
such  report  has  been  carefully  scrutinized,  but  no 
one  could  be  traced  to  any  reliable  source.  When- 
ever we  were  referred  to  any  individual,  that  per- 
son we  interrogated,  but  gained  no  additional  infor- 
mation. The  search  seemed  always  like  pursuing 
a  phantom ;  the  moment  it  is  touched  it  vanishes. 
It  is  natural  to  think  of  what  winter  life  upon  the 
mountains  must  be,  and  to  perceive  the  necessity 
of  an  expensive  outfit,  in  case  any  observers  could 
be  found  willing  to  brave  the  frost  and  storms  upon 
the  summit ;  hence  the  origin  of  the  report. 

APPLICATION    FOR   THE   TIP-TOP    HOUSE. 

During  the  ensuing  ten  years,  letters  occasion- 
ally passed  between  Messrs.  Hitchcock  and  Hun- 
tington.  At  length,  the  Legislature  of  New  Hamp- 


4         EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

shire,  in  the  summer  of  1868,  authorized  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Geological  Survey,  and  Mr.  Hitch- 
cock was  appointed  State  Geologist.  Then  Mr. 
Huntington  recalled  the  old  conversations  about  the 
winter  occupation  of  Mount  Washington,  and  he- 
applied  for  and  received  the  appointment  of  As- 
sistant on  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  State. 

He  commenced  his  work  in  New  Hampshire  in 
the  spring  of  1869,  and  labored  chiefly  in  the  wilds 
of  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  State.  The  sub- 
ject of  elevated  winter  quarters  was  early  broached, 
and  no  time  was  lost  in  making  the  preliminary  in- 
quiries. In  the  month  of  July,  the  State  Geologist 
went  to  Gorham  to  ask  Colonel  Hitchcock,  of  the 
Alpine  House,  and  lessee  of  the  Tip-top  House,  if 
he  would  allow  his  premises  on  the  summit  to  be  oc- 
cupied for  scientific  purposes  the  nextVinter.  The 
proposal  not  being  favorably  received,  the  matter 
was  dropped  for  a  few  weeks. 

Negotiations  were  subsequently  renewed  by  let- 
ter, but  were  not  successful.  These  long  cherished 
plans  being  thus  frustrated,  it  became  evident  that 
the  winter  of  1869-70  would  not  be  known  in  after 
years  as  the  season  in  which  daring  adventurers 
braved  the  arctic  climate  of  Mount  Washington. 
But  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other  cases,  a  higher  than 
human  foresight  was  preparing  the  way  for  the 
desired  adventure. 


A    WINTER  ON  MOOSILAUKE.  5 

MOOSILAUKE. 

Had  the  expedition  been  attempted  in  1869,  it 
might  have  bee7i  a  failure  for  the  want  of  an  expe- 
rience of  the  peculiarities  of  mountain  atmospheric 
phenomena.  In  a  conversation  with  Mr.  William 
Little,  of  Manchester,  our  disappointment  was  made 
known.  Said  he,  "  Why  not  spend  the  winter  upon 
the  top  of  Moosilauke  ?  I  own  the  house  there, 
and  the  adjacent  forests.  You  shall  have  the  use 
of  them  without  charge." 

O 

The  proposal  being  made  to  Mr.  Huntington, 
he  adopted  it  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  even 
though,  in  consequence  of  bad  chirography,  the 
word  "  Moosilauke  "  was  mistaken  for  "  Monad- 
nock."  Moosilauke,  in  Benton,  is  nearly  five  thou- 
sand feet  high,  and  within  the  arctic  zone  of  cli- 
mate. Supplies  were  carried  to  its  summit,  and 
Mr.  Arthur  C.  Page,  a  recent  graduate  of  the 
Chandler  Department  of  Dartmouth  College,  stood 
ready  to  accompany  Mr.  Huntington,  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  commence  arctic  housekeeping 
the  latter  part  of  December.  But  an  advantageous 
situation  in  Georgia  was  offered  to  Mr.  Page,  and 
by  his  acceptance  of  it,  the  elevated  position  of  ob- 
server on  Moosilauke  was  left  vacant.  It  was  shortly 
after  filled  by  Mr.  A.  F.  dough,  of  Warren,  a  great 
lover  of  Nature,  and  a  photographer  by  profession. 


6         EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

This  expedition  was  carried  out  chiefly  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Mr.  Huntingdon,  and  by  the  exertions  of 
both.  So  valuable  were  the  experiences  acquired, 
and  so  unusual  were  the  meteorological  phenomena 
experienced,  that  a  full  account  of  them  is  reserved 
for  a  subsequent  chapter.  In  some  respects,  the 
Mount  Washington  phenomena  have  not  equaled 
those  upon  Moosilauke. 

PREPARATION    FOR    THE    NEXT    WINTER. 

About  two  months  were  spent  upon  this  summit,, 
and  the  possibility  of  living  on  a  mountain  top  dur- 
ing the  winter  was  fully  demonstrated.  These  ob- 
servations were  published  in  the  newspapers,  and 
excited  great  interest.  We  began  quite  early  in 
1870  to  contrive  ways  and  means  for  our  Mount 
Washington  expedition.  Of  course,  a  house  was 
the  first  essential.  Renewed  application  for  the 
Tip-top  House  was  courteously  but  firmly  met  by 
refusal  in  a  letter  dated  April  23,  1870.  At  one 
time,  the  question  of  building  a  small  house  was 
discussed.  From  his  elevated  observatory  on  Moos- 
ilauke, Mr.  Huntington,  by  letter  of  February  18, 
1870,  proposed  that  negotiations  be  commenced  with 
the  Mount  Washington  Railway  Company,  for  the 
use  of  the  engine-house  or  depot  they  were  intend- 
ing to  build  on  the  summit. 

After  the  adverse  decision  in  regard  to  the  Tip- 


ASKING  FOR  MEANS.  7 

top  House,  a  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Sylvester 
Marsh,  of  Littleton,  president  of  the  Railway  Com- 
pany, inquiring  whether  the  house  might  not  be 
used  in  the  winter  by  the  meteorological  party.  In 
reply,  it  was  stated  that  the  completion  of  the  house 
before  winter  was  uncertain  ;  but  a  desire  was  ex- 
pressed that  the  project  might  be  successful.  Inter- 
views were  had  with  Mr.  Marsh,  and  he  spoke  even 
more  favorably  than  we  had  been  led  to  expect  by 
his  letter,  but  he  added  that  he  had  not  the  author- 
ity to  speak  for  the  company.  Having  no  reason 
to  suppose  the  directors  would  not  favor  us,  late  in 
July  the  State  Geologist  issued  a  circular,  stating 
the  importance  of  establishing  a  meteorological  ob- 
servatory upon  Mount  Washington  in  the  winter, 
and  askino-  the  friends  of  scientific  research  and 

O 

mountain  exploration  to  contribute  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars  to  maintain  the  expedition,  and  fur- 
nish the  means  of  telegraphic  communication  be- 
tween the  observers  and  the  public.  The  Geologi- 
cal Survey  proposed  to  adopt  the  expedition  as  a 
part  of  its  work,  but  not  to  furnish  any  funds  in  its 
behalf.  The  circular  suggested  that,  with  such  a 
sum,  the  expedition  could  be  made  successful,  and 
the  public  could  daily  learn  the  character  of  the 
arctic  phenomena  peculiar  to  the  summit,  and  that 
without  wai.ting  months  or  years  for  the  return  of 
the  party  to  civilized  regions.  It  was  promised  that 


8         EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  funds  subscribed  should  not  be  called  for  before 
October  1,  nor  then  unless  the  whole  amount  had 
been  subscribed,  and  every  contributor  of  ten  dol- 
lars and  upwards  was  to  receive  a  pamphlet  describ- 
ing the  history  and  results  of  the  expedition.  This 
circular  was  sent  to  friends,  and  small  sums  were 
received,  but  not  to  any  promising  extent.  Both  of 
us  were  so  occupied  with  necessary  field  work  that 
we  had  no  time  to  beg  for  money.  Circulars  were 
posted  at  the  principal  hotels  among  the  mountains, 
in  full  view  of  the  guests,  but  they  did  not  excite 
any  special  interest.  Great  hopes  were  entertained 
of  obtaining  assistance  from  the  American  Associa- 
tion for  the  Advancement  of  Science  at  its  meeting 
in  Troy,  about  the  middle  of  August.  A  paper 
was  read  at  Troy  by  Mr.  Huntington,  descriptive 
of  the  previous  winter's  occupation  of  Moosilauke, 
and  the  views  of  frostwork  and  arctic  scenery  there 
photographed  were  exhibited  by  means  of  a  magne- 
sium light.  The  presentation  of  the  subject  excited 
some  interest,  but  the  association  declined  to  aid 
the  project,  individually  or  collectively. 

THE   SIGNAL  SERVICE. 

It  was  now  the  first  of  September,  and  not  a 
hundred  dollars  had  been  promised.  Our  next 
effort  was  in  the  direction  of  the  Press.  A  promi- 
nent journal  in  New  York  was  willing  to  give  u» 


THE  SIGNAL  SERVICE.  9 

five  hundred  dollars  for  daily  telegrams  and  occa- 
sional letters  sent  to  them  exclusively  during  the 
winter  months.  Although  a  telegraph  line  capable 
of  use  in  the  winter  months,  was  beyond  our  ex- 
pected means,  our  faith  in  ultimate  success  was 
strengthened  by  this  proposal.  About  this  time 
our  attention  was  called  to  the  recent  establishment 
of  the  Bureau  of  Telegrams  and  Reports  for  the 
Benefit  of  Commerce  in  connection  with  the  War 
Department  at  Washington.  Application  was 
made  to  General  A.  B.  Myer,  the  Chief  Signal  Of- 
ficer, for  funds  to  aid  us  in  carrying  out  our  enter- 
prise, while  allowing  the  weather  office  to  share 
its  benefits.  The  answer,  dated  September  14, 
stated  that  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  could  "  hardly 
appropriate  money  for  the  object  named ;  but  it 
may  be  in  the  power  of  this  office,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  detail  an  observer 
for  the  position  you  propose  to  occupy." 

In  answer  to  two  additional  communications  from 
the  State  Geologist,  dated  September  21  and  22, 
the  Chief  Signal  Officer  states  his  willingness  to 
provide  an  insulated  telegraph  wire  to  extend  from 
the  summit  of  Mount  Washington  to  the  railroad 
station  at  its  base,  but  that  he  cannot  sanction  any 
special  arrangement  that  has  been  made  to  furnish 
any  one  paper  exclusively  with  the  weather  reports. 
He  proposed  himself  to  furnish  weather  reports 


10       EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

from  all  the  stations  throughout  the  country  to  the 
principal  newspapers,  as  well  as  to  the  Chambers  of 
Commerce,  and  could  not  well  omit  any  one.  He 
also  offered  to  provide  the  meteorological  instru- 
ments required  for  the  station.  Thus  the  means 
were  provided  for  sending  daily  telegrams,  but  it 
necessitated  the  annulling  of  the  contract  for  send- 
ing the  weather  reports  exclusively  to  the  New 
York  newspaper,  and  left  us  as  poor  as  ever. 

In  a  letter  of  October  7,  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  announces  that  he  has  sent  to  the  State 
Geologist,  three  miles  of  insulated  Kerite  telegraph 
wire,  two  telegraph  instruments,  two  sections  and 
four  conductors,  to  the  value  of  ten  hundred  and 
thirty-two  dollars ;  and  that  an  instructed  observer 
will  probably  be  detailed  to  join  the  expedition. 
These  telegraph  supplies  were  duly  received  and 
immediately  transported  to  the  mountain. 

AN    ABORTIVE    EFFORT. 

During  the  summer  an  effort  had  been  made  in 
still  another  direction,  namely,  application  for  aid 
to  a  scientific  society  in  New  York,  known  to  be 
greatly  interested  in  arctic  researches.  It  was 
suggested  to  them,  that  for  a  comparatively  small 
sum,  which  the  officers  of  the  society  could  easily 
raise  by  subscription,  science  would  be  greatly 
benefited,  while  the  society  itself  would  have  the 


MR.  NELSON'S  LABORS.  11 

credit  arising  from  encouraging  so  daring  an  ad- 
venture. 

The  proposal  was  not  favorably  received,  —  at 
least  no  reply  was  ever  made  to  the  communi- 
cation. 

MR.    NELSON. 

From  another  quarter,  however,  there  came  the 
required  assistance.  In  the  month  of  July,  Mr. 
Durgin  of  the  Sinclair  House  in  Bethlehem,  in- 
formed Professor  Hitchcock,  that  a  relative  of  his 
by  marriage,  S.  A.  Nelson,  of  Georgetown,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  very  much  interested  in  the  meteor- 
ology of  Mount  Washington,  and  would  like  to  join 
our  expedition.  Mr.  Nelson  wrote  by  date  of  July 
28,  presenting  a  request  to  be  permitted  to  join 
the  expedition,  asking  also  for  further  information. 
It  appeared  that  he  had  been  led  naturally  to  think 
of  the  great  benefits  to  science  that  must  accrue 
from  the  occupation  of  our  highest  mountain  for 
meteorological  purposes,  and  he  had  determined,  if 
not  able  to  go  with  some  party,  to'  attempt  the  en- 
terprise "  alone  in  the  face  of  all  hardships  and  dan- 
gers." His  letters  had  the  ring  of  the  true  metal  in 
them,  and  an  interview  for  the  exchange  of  views 
was  requested.  Circumstances  prevented  our  meet- 
ing. By  further  correspondence,  it  appeared  that  Mr. 
Nelson  was  ready  to  devote  himself  to  raising  funds 
for  the  expedition,  in  case  he  could  be  one  of  the 


12         EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

party.  A  formal  invitation  was  soon  extended  to 
Mr.  Nelson,  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  us.  He  ac- 
cepted, and  immediately  set  himself  to  the  task  of 
soliciting  subscriptions  in  eastern  Massachusetts, 
pledging  himself  to  procure  at  least  five  hundred 
dollars.  His  promise  was  more  than  realized,  for 
his  efforts  brought  in  more  than  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars. His  labors  commenced-  early  in  September, 
and  he  did  not  go  upon  the  mountain  till  late  in 
December,  remaining  behind  after  the  occupation 
of  the  summit  to  complete  what  he  conceived  to  be 
his  part  of  the  work  below.  Were  this  the  place,  it 
would  be  very  entertaining  to  present  extracts  from 
his  journal  in  October  and  November,  showing  how 
curiously  many  of  his  applications  for  aid  were  re- 
ceived. Those  who  have  been  obliged  to  solicit 
contributions  for  worthy,  yet  poorly  appreciated 
causes,  can  easily  imagine  his  varied  and  amusing 
experiences. 

OVERCOMING    DIFFICULTIES. 

It  became  evident  that  the  public  were  slowly 
gaining  confidence  in  the  success  of  our  enterprise, 
and  therefore,  we  began  to  purchase  our  supplies. 
Mr.  Huntington  made  out  the  list,  that  we  might 
have  the  needful  articles  at  the  lower  mountain  de- 
pot, early  in  October,  understanding  that  the  trains 
could  not  transport  freight  for  us  before  that  time. 


DIFFICULTIES.  13 

On  the  19th  of  September,  word  was  sent  to  Pro- 
fessor Hitchcock  at  Bethlehem,  that  the  mountain 
trains  would  stop  running  on  the  following  day,  as 
the  track  was  to  be  taken  up  immediately  for  re- 
pairs, and  that  no  orders  had  been  given  by  the 
officers  of  the  company,  to  afford  our  expedition 
any  facilities  either  of  transportation  or  the  use  of 
the  summit  depot ;  that  this  building  had  been  left 
unfinished,  there  being  only  roof  and  sides  without 
doors  or  windows ;  that  the  cold  weather  having 
set  in,  it  would  soon  be  impossible  to  run  the  trains 
for  want  of  water,  etc.  To  add  to  these  difficulties 
the  supplies  had  not  all  been  purchased  ;  it  was  un- 
certain whether  sufficient  funds  could  be  obtained, 
and  no  arrangement  had  then  been  made  for  the 

O 

use  of  a  telegraph  cable.  Under  these  unpromising 
circumstances  the  party  at  Bethlehem,  with  the 
exception  of  the  state  geologist,  came  unanimously 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  obstacles  in  the  way 
were  insurmountable,  and  the  expedition  must  be 
abandoned  for  the  next  winter.  But  he  said  the  sup- 
plies should  all  go  up  the  mountain,  even  if  he  turned 
teamster  himself,  and  with  a  single  horse  trans- 
ported them  up  the  carriage  road ;  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton  having  expressed  a  willingness  to  remain  upon 
the  summit  all  winter  even  without  telegraphic 
communication  with  the  world  below.  The  next 
day,  therefore,  one  of  the  party  went  to  the  rail- 


14      EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

road  station  to  say  that  orders  were  coming  from 
head-quarters  to  grant  the  needed  facilities,  as 
they  must  have  been  delayed  by  some  misunder- 
standing. Another  went  to  Littleton  to  borrow  a 
few  tons  of  coal,  so  that  the  most  essential  article  to 
comfort  might  be  sure  to  reach  the  railroad  in  sea- 
son for  transportation  to  the  summit.  Professor 
Hitchcock  at  the  same  time  went  to  Boston,  and 
obtained  from  the  officers  of  the  company  the  neces- 
sary permission  to  use  their  summit  depot  during 
the  winter ;  and  immediately  transmitted  it  to  the 
employees.  The  railway  company  generously  gave 
us  the  use  of  the  depot,  and  transported  our  sup- 
plies over  their  line  to  the  summit  without  charge, 
and  regretted  that  they  could  not  have  known 
earlier  of  our  purpose,  so  that  the  house  might 
have  been  completed.  Our  thanks  are  specially 
due  to  the  engineers,  Mr.  Charles  Aiken  and  Mr. 
Kidder,  for  remaining  on  the  mountain  longer 
than  was  necessary  for  their  own  purposes,  to  ac- 
commodate us. 

Immediately  after  Professor  Hitchcock's  return, 
Mr.  Huntington  went  to  Boston,  to  purchase  the 
necessary  supplies  in  connection  with  Mr.  Nelson, 
and  to  see  that  they  were  forwarded  without  delay. 
These  necessaries  were  purchased  on  credit,  and  the 
amounts  charged  to  Professor  Hitchcock.  They 
were  immediately  forwarded  and  transported  to  the 
summit. 


CARRYING   UP  SUPPLIES.  15 

UP   THE    CARRIAGE   ROAD. 

In  spite  of  all  our  efforts  the  telegraphic  appara- 
tus sent  from  Washington,  and  some  other  necessary 
articles,  arrived  too  late  for  the  last  train,  and  these 
were  taken  around  the  mountain  in  a  buggy,  partly 
by  Professor  Hitchcock  and  partly  by  Mr.  Hun- 
tington,  and  thence  to  the  summit  on  the  carriage 
road.  The  distance  traversed  by  each  was  nearly 
eighty  miles,  over  a  very  muddy  and  hilly  route. 
The  road  up  the  mountain  had  been  closed  for  the 
winter,  and  the  fifty  or  sixty  bridges  upon  it  taken 
up,  so  that  in  addition  to  the  labor  of  climbing,  the 
planks  must  be  relaid.  Several  days  were  spent 
upon  the  summit  in  preparing  the  building  for  oc- 
cupation —  partitioning  off"  a  room,  setting  up  the 
stoves,  laying  double-floors,  etc.  In  this  we  were 
aided  by  a  carpenter  from  Berlin  Falls.  On  the 
eighteenth  of  October  Professor  Hitchcock  at- 
tempted to  carry  up  the  last  supplies  of  beef  and 
mutton,  but  at  the  Half-way  House  the  wind  was 
blowing  at  the  rate  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles  per 
hour,  and  it  was  not  prudent  to  venture  further 
with  a  horse.  The  load  was  left  at  the  turning 
point,  and  was  subsequently  carried  to  the  summit 
by  Mr.  Huntington,  who  remained  on  the  mountain 
till  the  rooms  were  completed  for  occupation,  the 
Kerite  wire  laid,  and  everything  was  in  readiness 


16      EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

for  the  incoming  of  the  party.     He  came  clown  Oc- 
tober 22. 

A    NEW    CIRCULAR. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October  Professor  Hitchcock 
joined  Mr.  Nelson  for  a  few  days  in  the  work  of 
soliciting  funds.  A  new  circular,  adapted  to  the 
changed  circumstances,  was  prepared,  and  was  wide- 
ly distributed.  In  this  it  was  briefly  stated  that  the 
arrangements  for  the  occupation  of  the  mountain 
had  been  completed  ;  the  observers,  photographers 
and  telegrapher  selected ;  the  needful  supplies  pur- 
chased and  transported  to  the  summit;  a  Kerite 
telegraph  wire  had  been  laid  over  that  portion  of 
the  route  where  a  common  wire  could  not  with- 
stand the  wintry  blasts  and  accumulations  of  ice  ; 
that  the  building  had  been  secured  and  comfortably 
furnished,  and  furthermore  that  the  party  intended 
to  establish  themselves  in  their  snug  eyrie  about 
the  twelfth  of  November. 

Reference  was  made  to  the  approval  of  the  ex- 
pedition by  the  War  Department,  and  to  a  special 
letter  of  recommendation  signed  by  Professors  B. 
Pierce,  Joseph  Winlock,  Joseph  Levering,  Asa 
Gray,  Alpheus  Hyatt,  President  Runkle,  N.  B. 
Shurtleff,  and  William  Claflin. 

It  was  also  thought  that  commerce  would  be 
greatly  benefited  by  our  daily  reports.  As  4he 
farmer  studies  the  cloud-caps  upon  high  mountains 


RAISING  FUNDS.  17 

to  forecast  the  weather,  so  telegraphic  reports  of 
the  condition  of  the  atmosphere  upon  the  highest 
summit  in  eastern  America  would  enable  ship- 
owners to  judge  of  the  approach  of  storms,  and 
escape  risk  of  loss  to  their  vessels  by  keeping  them 
in  a  harbor  till  the  danger  was  past ;  so  too,  with 
fair  weather  reported  from  the  mountain,  vessels 
could  get  a  day's  start  of  any  bad  spell  of  weather, 
and  thus  escape  great  peril. 

It  was  announced  that  these  preparations  had 
been  made  with  the  expectation  that  friends  would 
contribute  funds  sufficient  to  meet  the  expenses. 
Should  the  public  fail  to  appreciate  the  enterprise 
the  burden  would  fall  upon  the  State  Geologist, 
who  had  already  paid  out  seven  hundred  dollars 
more  than  the  amount  of  the  subscriptions. 

This  appeal  proved  to  be  efficacious,  as  in  conse- 
quence of  this  and  other  applications,  enough  funds 
were  secured  to  pay  all  the  bills  of  the  expedition. 
It  was  hoped  that  there  might  be  a  small  balance 
in  our  favor,  so  that  the  observers  might  preserve 
some  reminder  of  their  wild  experiences ;  but 
they  are  all  well  satisfied  that  the  expedition  has 
been  able  to  meet  its  obligations  without  protesta- 
tion. 

2 


18      EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 
THE   PHOTOGRAPHERS    OF   THE    EXPEDITION. 

On  the  third  of  October  a  letter  came  from 
Howard  A.  Kimball,  photographer,  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  asking  to  be  permitted  to  join  the  mountain 
party  and  take  views.  Some  elegant  stereographs, 
showing  what  proficiency  he  had  made  in  his  pro- 
fession, accompanied  the  letter.  According  to  our 
original  plan  the  artist  of  the  expedition  was  Mr. 
A.  F.  Clough  of  Warren,  N.  H.,  hence  this  ap- 
plication was  referred  to  him.  Mr.  Clough  was 
pleased  with  it.  The  two  gentlemen  concluded 
to  combine  their  efforts  or  to  form  a  partnership, 
and  thus  go  upon  the  mountain  in  company.  This 
necessitated  their  spending  a  shorter  time  there,  on 
account  of  the  limited  stock  of  provisions  sent  up. 
Mr.  Kimball  aided  in  the  work  of  raising  funds, 
adding  more  than  a  hundred  dollars  to  our  list. 

O 

Both  the  photographers  made  personal  pecuniary 
sacrifices  in  order  to  render  their  branch  of  our 
expedition  successful.  They  also  endured  great 
hardships  upon  the  mountain,  as  will  appear  fur- 
ther on.  They  have  succeeded  finely  in  taking 
views,  as  shown  in  their  published  stereographs. 
They  have  kindly  permitted  us  to  copy  such  as  we 
need  for  illustrating  this  volume,  the  report  of  our 
doings. 


OUR   TELEGRAPHER.  19 

OUR   TELEGRAPHER. 

On  the  third  of  November  the  Chief  Signal 
Officer  informed  us  that  he  would  send  an  in- 
structed operator  and  observer  with  a  complete  set 
of  meteorological  instruments  to  Mount  Washing- 

o  o 

ton,  and  requested  that  one  weather  report  might 
be  forwarded  to  him  daily  by  telegraph.  This  re- 
port would  be  bulletined  along  with  those  from 
other  stations,  and  a  copy  of  it  be  furnished  to 
the  principal  daily  journals  in  the  country.  After 
some  delay  Sergeant  Theodore  Smith,  U.  S.  A. 
started  from  Washington,  and  reached  the  moun- 
tain early  in  December. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  special  order 
No.  95,  brought  from  Washington  :  — 

o  o 

WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF  SIGNAL  OFFICER, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  November  28, 1870. 
******* 

Sergeant  Theodore  Smith,  Observer,  Signal  Service, 
U.  S.  A.,  will  proceed  without  delay  to  Mount  Washing- 
ton, New  Hampshire,  and  report  for  temporary  duty  to 
Professor  C.  H.  Hitchcock,  and  carry  out  such  orders  as 
he  has  received  personally  from  this  office. 

The  Quartermaster's  Department  will  furnish  the  nec- 
essary transportation. 

By  order  of  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  Army. 

CHARLES  M.  PTNE, 

Captain  U-  S.  Army,  Acting  Signal  Officer  and  Assistant* 
To  Prof.  C.  H.  HITCHCOCK,  Mount  Washington,  New  Hampshire. 


20      EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 
TELEGRAPHING    FROM    HANOVER. 

At  the  time  appointed,  November  12,  Mr.  Hun- 
tington  promptly  climbed  the  mountain  and  com- 
menced to  take  and  record  the  meteorological  ob- 
servations. The  other  members  of  the  party  were 
delayed  by  various  reasons,  partly  because  all  the 
necessary  arrangements  had  not  been  completed. 
One  of  the  last  arrangements  perfected  was  the 
connection  of  the  telegraph  wire  between  Mount 
Washington  and  Hanover.  In  Northern  New  Eng- 
land, there  are  two  telegraph  lines  running  nearly 
parallel  to  each  other.  One  starts  from  Groveton, 
New  Hampshire,  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  and 
proceeds  to  Concord  by  way  of  Lancaster,  Little- 
ton, Wells  River,  Vermont,  and  Plymouth.  At 
Littleton  there  is  a  branch  wire  extending  to  the 
mountain.  The  other  wire  alluded  to  follows  the 
Passumpsic  Railroad  from  Lennoxville,  P.  Q.,  to 
White  River  Junction.  These  two  wires  enter  the 
same  building  at  Wells  River.  Mr.  C.  W.  Gates, 
the  superintendent  of  these  lines,  kindly  consented 
to  arrange  switches  at  Wells  River  and  Littleton, 

~  * 

so  that  Hanover  and  Mount  Washington  could  very 
easily  be  connected  in  one  continuous  line  ;  and 
permission  was  given  to  Professor  Hitchcock  to  use 
this  line  in  the  evening  for  an  hour  after  the  busi- 
ness of  the  company  had  been  attended  to.  A  few 


TELEGRAPHING.  21 

yards  of  wire  were  added  to  the  main  line  in  Han- 
over, and  thus  there  was  direct  communication  from 
the  summit  to  Professor  Hitchcock's  office  in  Cul- 
ver Hall,  a  large  building  in  process  of  erection  for 
the  mutual  benefit  of  the  New  Hampshire  College 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts  and  Dart- 
mouth College.  This  was  the  only  room  in  the 
building  fitted  for  occupation,  reached  by  struggling 
through  piles  of  lumber,  and  balancing  one's  self 
upon  a  single  plank  placed  over  perilous  depths. 
The  apparatus  used  was  one  of  the  combination 
main  line  instruments  belonging  to  the  Signal  Ser- 
vice, together  with  a  register  from  the  Shattuck  Ob- 
servatory. Thus  when  the  storms  were  raging,  the 
snow  flying,  the  mercury  freezing  in  the  thermom- 
eter, and  transportation  was  impossible,  there  could 
be  communication  between  the  isolated  adventurers 
and  their  friends.  The  news  from  the  mountain 
was  exchanged  for  intelligence  from  the  papers, 
almost  as  soon  as  they  were  received  in  Hanover. 

We  cannot  forbear  alluding  in  this  connection  to 
the  assistance  rendered  our  cause  by  Mr.  Field,  tel- 
egraph operator  and  postmaster  at  Hanover.  The 
evening  messages  to  the  mountain  were  not  sent 
from  Hanover  by  the  regular  employe  of  the  tele- 
graph company,  but  by  members  of  Dartmouth 
College  who  had  learned  to  telegraph  for  their  own 
pleasure,  or  by  other  persons  interested  in  the  ex- 


22       EARLY  II f STORY  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

pedition.  Among  the  latter  number  there  was 
one,  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  art  of  telegraphy, 
who  had  rashly  promised  Professor  Hitchcock  to 
send  and  receive  messages  for  him  every  Monday, 
Wednesday,  and  Friday  evening  throughout  the 
stay  of  the  scientific  party  upon  Mount  Washing- 
ton. 

To  learn  to  write  Morse's  alphabet  legibly  was 
a  comparatively  easy  task.  Then  commenced  the 
stumbling  through  dark  halls,  over  piles  of  shavings 
and  timbers,  and  climbing  of  broken,  rickety  stairs, 
by  the  light  of  a  dim  lantern,  the  only  luminary  in 
Culver  Hall,  in  order  to  reach  "  S.  O.  ;  "  where, 
in  an  arctic  atmosphere,  corresponding  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  temperature  to  that  supposed  to  exist 
upon  the  summit  at  the  same  hour,  the  bewildered 
amateur  undertook  to  learn  how  to  "  adjust,"  to 
"  switch  on,"  to  "'switch  off,"  to  "  call  M.  W.,"  and 
all  the  other  "  ways  that  are  dark  "  in  this  very 
mysterious  art.  At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Field  came 
to  our  aid.  Jle  not  only  invited  this  telegrapher  to 
send  messages  from  the  regular  office,  but  made 
every  effort  to  render  the  assumed  task  an  easy  one, 
and  that  when  his  time  was  very  fully  occupied  with 
his  own  duties.  He  read  our  messages  for  us.  He 
adjusted  the  instrument,  and  explained  the  vario'us 
puzzling  mysteries  of  the  art.  He  "  switched  on  " 
and  "switched  off"  and  "called"  when  things 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  23 

were  "contrairy,"  and  made  inquiries  for  us,  and, 
'in  brief,  did  everything  that  he  "  might,  could, 
would,  or  should  have  done "  under  the  circum- 
stances, except  to  acknowledge  the  value  of  his 
time,  or  that  the  presence  of  comparative  strangers 
evening  after  evening  in  his  office  was  an  incon- 

O  ~ 

venience.  The  unskillful  telegrapher  whom  he  so 
kindly  assisted,  takes  this  opportunity  to  acknowl- 
edge both,  and  to  thank  him  for  the  aid  so  cheer- 
fully given. 

MEMBERS    OF    THE    EXPEDITION. 

The  complete  organization  of  the  expedition  is  as 
follows  :  — 

C.  H.  HITCHCOCK,  State  Geologist,  with  office  in 
Hanover,  connected  by  telegraph  with  the  summit 
of  Mount  Washington. 

J.  H.  HUNTINGTON,  in  charge  of  the  Observa- 
tory upon  the  mountain. 

S.  A.  NELSON,  Observer. 

A.  F.  CLOUGH  and  H.  A.  KIMBALL,  Photogra- 
phers. 

THEODORE  SMITH,  Observer  and  Telegrapher  for 
the  Signal  Service. 


CHAPTER   II. 


PHYSICAL    CHARACTER    OF    THE    WHITE    MOUNTAINS. 


N_  the  mountainous  region  parallel  to  the 
eastern  coast  of  North  America  there  are 
two  culminating  points,  if  we  view  the 
masses  in  a  general  way,  and  overlook  some  of  the 
valleys  of  denudation.  Commencing  with  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  the  country  rises  gradually  till  the  highest 
point  is  reached  on  Clingman's  Peak,  6,707  feet,  in 
western  North  Carolina.  Then,  in  going  north, 
there  is  a  descending  slope  as  far  as  the  Hudson 
River,  or  to  the  level  of  the  sea.  From  this  valley 
northerly  the  country  rises  till  Mount  Washing- 
ton is  reached,  6,293  feet,  and  there  is  a  descent 
again  to  the  Gulf  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  To  explain 
these  alternating  slopes  we  must  call  in  the  ele- 
vating agencies  of  past  geological  time.  The  re- 
searches of  the  New  Hampshire  Geological  Survey 
indicate  that  the  Mount  Washington  range  was  ele- 
vated by  forces  acting  in  different  directions.  After 
the  first  range  with  its  stratigraphical  curves  had 
been  formed,  another  force  was  exerted  which  dis- 


TOPOGRAPHY.  25 

torted  the  earlier  folds,  piling,  the  strata  higher, 
much  like  the  waves  of  the  ocean  when  disturbed 
by  conflicting  winds. 

The  White  Mountains  are  generally  understood 
by  geographers  to  include  all  the  elevated  region 
north  of  Winnipiseogee  Lake  in  New  Hampshire. 
Territorially  these  may  be  divided  into  several 
groups,  as  the  Moosilauke  range  to  the  southwest, 
the  Franconia  region,  the  Pemigewasset  Mountains, 
the  Mount  Washington  group,  etc.  It  is  the  latter 
portion  that  claims  our  attention  at  the  present  time. 
There  is  an  area  perhaps  thirty  miles  long  and  ten 
miles  wide  bounded  by  Israel's  and  Moose  rivers 
upon  the  north,  Peabody  and  Ellis  rivers  on  the 
east,  the  Saco  River  on  the  south  and  west,  of  which 
Mount  Washington  is  the  culminating  point.  Its 
latitude  is  44°  16'  25",  its  longitude  71°  16'  26" 
west  from  Greenwich,  or  1°  0'  43.99"  longitude 
east  from  Hanover. 

TOPOGRAPHY    OF   THE    MAIN    RANGE. 

This  area  shows  a  main  range  with  several 
brancjies.  Starting  with  Camel's  Hump  in  Gor- 
ham,  the  land  quickly  rises  to  Mount  Madison 
5,365  feet  high.  Pursuing  a  course  west  of  south, 
we  see  in  order  Mount  Adams,  5,794  feet ;  Mount 
Jefferson,  5,714  feet ;  Mount  Clay,  5,553  feet ; 
Mount  Washington,  6,293  feet;  Mount  Monroe, 


26     CHARACTER  OF  THE    WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

5,384  feet;  Mount  Franklin,  4,904  feet;  Mount 
Pleasant,  4,764  feet;  Mount  Clinton,  4,320  feet; 
Mount  Jackson,  4,100  feet,  and  Mount  Webster, 
4,000  feet  by  estimate.  The  range  is  here  crossed 
by  the  Saco  River,  and  on  the  other  side  we  have 
Mount  Willey,  4,300  feet,  and  a  long  range  run- 
ning to  Mount  Carrigain. 

Of  the  spurs  from  the  main  range  there  is  one  at 
right  angles  to  its  axis  on  the  west  side,  consist- 
ing of  Mounts  Marsh,  Dartmouth,  Deception,  and 
Cherry  Mountain,  extending  past  the  White  Moun- 
tain House.  On  the  opposite  side  a  spur  points  down 
toward  the  Glen  House,  with  steep  valleys  upon  both 
sides,  the  Great  Gulf  to  the  north  and  Tuckerman's 
Ravine  on  the  south.  Looking;  from  the  summit  of 

O 

Mount  Washington,  one  can  make  out  the  outlines 
of  an  elevated  plateau,  from  Boott's  spur  past  the 
summit  to  Adams  and  Madison.  South  from  Mount 
Washington  there  are  two  main  spurs  or  mountain 
ranges,  branching  from  the  elevated  plateau.  The 
first  lies  between  Dry  or  Mount  Washington  River 
and  the  Rocky  Branch,  and  we  have,  beginning  at 
the  lower  end,  Hart's  Ledge,  Mount  Crawford, 
Mount  Resolution,  and  the  Giant's  Stairs  as  parts 
of  the  range.  Iron  Mountain  in  Jackson  is  the 
most  prominent  peak  of  the  other  range  between 
Rocky  Branch  and  Ellis  River.  The  two  valleys 
of  Dry  River  and  Rocky  Branch  are  deep  and 
very  strongly  marked. 


MAPS.  27 

MAPS    OF   THE    WHITE   MOUNTAINS. 

In  1853  a  most  excellent  map  of  the  White 
Mountains  was  prepared  by  the  late  Professor  G. 
P.  Bond  of  Cambridge',  Massachusetts.  It  was 
made  from  original  friangulation,  and  has  been  the 
basis  for  everything  that  has  subsequently  appeared. 
In  1858  another  map  was  published  by  Harvey 
Boardman  of  Griswold,  Connecticut,  on  the  scale 
of  about  two  miles  to  the  inch,  somewhat  larger 

7  o 

than  Bond's.  Upon  this  the  roads  were  laid  down 
more  accurately,  the  boundaries  of  towns  were  rep- 
resented, and  an  attempt  was  made  to  show  the 
mountain  ridges  and  peaks  by  the  lines  known  to 
engravers  as  hashers.  It  also  contained  views  of 
the  principal  hotels.1  Since  the  organization  of  the 
Geological  Survey  of  New  Hampshire,  we  have  at- 
tempted to  secure  a  map  more  perfect  than  any  now 
existing.  Mr.  George  L.  Vose  of  Paris,  Maine, 
contributed  for  this  purpose  a  large  number  of 
trigonometrical  observations  verifying  those  of  Pro- 
fessor Bond,  and  added  new  ones  in  1869.  Surveys 
of  the  Fabyan  Turnpike  and  the  Mount  Washing- 
ton Carriage  Road  were  made  for  the  Geological 
Survey  by  Walling  and  Gray  in  1870,  and  the  State 

1  The  map  by  C.  H.  V.  Cavis,  prepared  for  "  Eastman's  Guide,"  is 
upon  the  scale  of  five  miles  to  the  inch,  and  covers  a  wider  range  of 
country  than  either  Bond's  or  Boardman's. 


28     CHARACTER  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

Geologist  has  spent  much  time  among  the  moun- 
tains in  quest  of  corrections  and  improvements.  As 
the  result  of  these  labors  a  new  map  of  the  White 
Mountains  has  been  compiled  upon  the  scale  of  two 
and  a  half  miles  to  the  inch,  and  it  is  believed  to  be 
a  great  improvement  over  all  existing  delineations 
of  this  interesting  region.  The  one  in  this  volume 
is  a  new  edition  of  the  one  in  the  "  White  Hills  " 
by  Starr  King. 

THE    MODEL. 

Several  years  since  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Hill,  for- 
merly President  of  Harvard  College,  prepared  an 
excellent  model  in  plaster  of  the  White  Mountain 
region  upon'the  basis  of  Bond's  map.  It  was  about 
eighteen  inches  square,  and  showed  all  the  ridges 
and  valleys  between  Gorham,  Conway,  and  Little- 
ton. In  1870,  Professor  Hitchcock  commenced  the 
preparation  of  a  model  of  the  Mount  Washington 
range  and  its  branches  upon  the  horizontal  scale  of 
139  rods  to  the  inch,  and  the  vertical  one  of  three 
fourths  of  an  inch  to  1,000  feet.  It  is  about  five 
feet  long  and  nearly  three  feet  wide.  Though 
mostly  made  without  special  measurements,  it  is 
thought  to  represent  the  contour  of  the  mountains 
and  valleys  better  than  anything  else  in  existence  ; 
and  therefore  a  sketch  of  it  has  been  prepared  for 
this  report  of  our  winter  experiences.  It  gives  a 


THE    WHITE    MOUNTAINS 


ALTITUDES.  29 

bird's-eye  view  of  all  the  elevations  and  depressions 
of  the  most  elevated  regions,  and,  though  imperfect 
—  as  any  model  must  be  without  an  expense  of 
$10,000  for  accurate  surveys,  —  it  will  give  a  very 
much  better  idea  of  the  shapes  of  the  several  moun- 
tains than  many  pages  of  description. 

VARIOUS    ALTITUDES. 

For  the  pleasure  of  many  readers,  a  list  of  heights 
of  many  interesting  points  among  the  mountains 
is  here  presented.  They  have  been  taken  mainly 
from  Professor  Arnold  Guyot's  memoir  on  the 
"  Appalachian  Mountain  System."  The  altitudes 
are  above  mean  tide  water. 

Feet. 

Gorham  Railroad  Station 802. 

Glen  House 1,632. 

Peabody  River,  opposite  Glen  House         .        .        .       1,543. 
Summit  of  ridge  between  Peabody  and  Ellis  Rivers,  in 

road  near  Glen  Ellis  Falls 2,018. 

Hotel  at  Jackson 771. 

Road  at  junction  of  Saco  and  Ellis  Rivers    .        .        .      576. 

Mountains  east  of  Peabody  River :  — 

Wildcat  Mountain         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  4,350. 

South  peak  of  Mount  Carter 4,830. 

North  peak  of  Mount  Carter,  or  Imp  Mountain    .        .  4,702. 

Mount  Moriah 4,653. 

On  the  main  range  :  — 

Half-way  House  on  Carriage  Road,  east  side  of  Mount 

Washington 3,840. 

Limit  of  trees,  north  side  of  Mount  Washington       .      4,150. 
Road  between  Mount  Madison  and  Camel's  Hump      .  1,790. 


30      CHARACTER  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

Feet. 

Lowest  ridge  between  Moose  and  Israel's  Rivers  .  1,473. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Madison  and  Adams  .  .  .  4,912. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Adams  and  Jefferson  .  .  4,939. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Jefferson  and  Clay  .  •  .  .  4,979. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Clay  and  Washington  .  .  5,417. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Washington  and  Monroe  .  .  5,100. 

Lake  of  the  Clouds 5,100. 

Little  Monroe,  south  of  Mount  Monroe  .  .  .  5,204. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Franklin  and  Pleasant  .  .  4,400. 
Gap  between  Mounts  Pleasant  and  Clinton  .  .  .  4,050. 
Oilier  localities ;  — 

Cherry  Mountain,  approximately  ....  3,670. 
Cherry  Mountain  road  at  summit  ....  2,192. 

Mount  Deception 2,449. 

White  Mountain  House 1,551. 

Gate  of  Fabyan  Turnpike 1,583. 

Twin  River  on  Fabyan  Turnpike,  about       .         .         .  2,083. 

Marshfield,  about       .    ••  .' 2,615. 

Crawford  House *      .         .         .  1,920. 

Gate  of  the  Notch     .        .        .        .'•..-.       1 ,904. 

Willey  House        .         .         .        .        ......       .        .1,335. 

Mount  Crawford  House  (Dr.  Bemis)          .        .         .          986. 

Mouth  of  Sawyer's  River 880. 

Upper  Bartlett  P.  0 G64. 

South  Conway  P.  O.    .         .        .         .        '.         .         .      450. 

North  Conway,  estimated 492. 

Mount  Crawford  .         .         .,       .        .         .         .         .3,134. 

Mount  Resolution 3,400. 

Giant's  Stairs 3,500. 

Mount  Willard,  about 2,570. 

Bethlehem  Village 1,450. 

Bridge  over  Ammonoosuc  (Bethlehem)     .        .        .       1,221. 

Profile  House,  Franconia 1,974. 

Carroll  House 1,428. 


HEIGHT  OF  MOUNT   WASHINGTON.         31 


HEIGHT    OF    MOUNT   WASHINGTON. 

There  have  been  a  great  many  measurements 
of  the  altitude  of  Mount  Washington.  Rev.  Dr. 
Cutler  estimated  it  from  his  first  measurement  in 
1784,  at  10,000  feet,  with  the  presumption  that  the 
figures  were  too  small.  His  second  observations,  in 
1804,  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  N.  Bow- 
ditch,  who  made  out  the  altitude  from  them  to  be 
7,055  feet.  In  1814  Dr.  Bigelow  calculated  it  to 
be  6,225  feet.  .  Captain  Partridge's  observations  in 
1821,  gave  6,234  feet.  He  gave  also  the  heights 
of  the  adjacent  peaks  :  Adams,  5,328  ;  Jefferson, 
5,058;  Madison,  4,866;  Monroe,  4,356;  Frank- 
lin, 4,711.  The  observations  of  Dr.,C.  T.  Jack- 
son, in  1840,  were  quite  accurate  for  the  difference 
in  height  between  Mount  Washington  and  the 
Notch.  Correcting  the  error  for  the  height  of  the 
Notch,  his  figures  would  stand  6,303,  instead  of 
6,228,  only  ten  feet  in  excess  of  the  correct  height. 
Prof.  Arnold  Guyot,  in  1851,  from  barometrical  ob- 
servations, gives  the  figures  of  6,291  feet.  In  his 
memoir  on  the  "Appalachian  Mountain  System," 
published  in  1861,  he  has  altered  these  figures  to 
6,288.  In  1853,  Capt.  T.  J.  Cram  leveled  to  the 
summit  under  the  direction  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey,  and  reported  the  height  to  be  6,293 
feet.  There  have  been  other  measurements,  but 


32      CHARACTER  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

the  last  seems  to  be  the  most  reliable ;  and  we  may 
assume  it  to  be  correct  until  it  is  proved  to  be  erro- 
neous. 

THE    ARCTIC    CLIMATE. 

Observation  shows  that  the  climate  of  any  coun- 
try becomes  colder  in  proportion  to  the  height  of 
the  land  above  the  sea.  Thus  in  tropical  regions 
there  may  be  an  arctic  climate  at  an  altitude  of 
12,000  or  15,000  feet.  Using  the  formulas  given 
by  the  best  authorities,  the  climate  o^Mount  Wash- 
ington corresponds  with  that  of  the  middle  of 
Greenland,  about  seventy  degrees  of  north  latitude, 
or  twenty-six  degrees  further  north  than  New 
Hampshire.  .  Thie  summit  is  thus  shown  to  be  in 
the  arctic  zone,  and  the  animal  arid  vegetable  life 
corresponds  with  that  of  Labrador  and  Greenland. 
The  physical  character  of  the  mountain,  then,  shows 
why  it  is  so  interesting  a  place  for  a  meteorological 
observatory  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  particularly 
in  the  winter.  It  is  an  arctic  island  in  the  temper- 
ate zone,  and  on  account  of  its  great  elevation  it 
exhibits  also  the  condition  of  the  atmosphere  where 
the  mercury  does  not  rise  above  twenty-four  inches 
in  the  barometer.  For  peculiar  interest,  therefore, 
the  Mount  Washington  station  is  not  exceeded  by 
any  point  within  the  arctic  circle. 


BOTANY.  33 

BOTANICAL     EXPLORATIONS. 

The  plants  of  the  Alpine  regions  of  the  White 
Mountains  are  of  great  interest.  Dr.  Cutler  in 
1784  is  the  first  author  to  speak  of  their  arrange- 
ment into  zones.  Dr.  Bigelow  in  1816  determined 
most  of  the  phenogamous  plants,  while  stating  many 
interesting  facts  concerning  the  fauna  and  minerals. 
Other  explorers  were  Benjamin  D.  Greene  and 
Henry  Little,  in  1823.  In  1825  William  Oakes 
and  Dr.  Charles  Pickering  made  very  extensiA-e 
researches  among  the  plants,  adding  several  species 
never  found  before.  The  former  continued  his  ex- 
plorations the  year  following  and  afterward.  In 
1829  Dr.  J.  W.  Robbins  explored  tbe  entire  range, 
descending  into  the  Great  Gulf  and  visiting  the 
eastern  summits  for  the  first  time.  Mr.  Nuttall 
before  this  time,  detected  several  species  of  great 
rarity,  some  of  which  have  hardly  been  seen  since. 
Mr.  Oakes  continued  his  botanical  researches  for 
many  years,  and  intended  to  publish  a  full  account 
of  them. 

The  most  painstaking  botanist  among  the  moun- 
tains has  been  Professor  Edward  Tuckerman  of 
Amherst,  Mass.  He  first  visited  the  mountains  in 
1837,  and  has  since  that  period  been  among  them 
almost  as  many  times  as  there  have  been  summers. 
He  has  devoted  special  attention  to  the  lichens  of 

3 


34   CHARACTER  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

V 

this  region,  or  those  plants  which  predominate  in 
the  alpine  district.  In  his  admirable  treatise  upon 
the  "  Vegetation  of  the  White  Mountains,"  he 
marks  out  four  regions :  First,  the  lower  forest,  in 
which  are  found  the  hard  wood  species  of  trees, 
the  rock  maple,  the  beech,  the  white  and  yellow 
birches.  With  these  are  often  large  white  pines, 
firs,  white  spruces,  the  aspen,  the  witch  hazel,  and 
the  mountain  ash.  Secondly,  the  upper  forest 
consists  mostly  of  black  spruce  and  fir,  with  occa- 
sional yellow  and  canoe  birches,  Frazer's  balsam 
fir,  and  a  mountain  ash.  At  four  thousand  feet 
of  altitude  these  trees  are  dwarfed,  but  are  very 
strong,  and  when  close  together  form  a  thicket 
almost  impenetrable.  Among  the  plants  of  the 
third,  or  sub-Alpine  region,  are  the  mountain  sand- 
wort,  the  evergreen  cowberry,  the  Labrador  tea,  and 
the  mountain  bilberry.  This  seems  not  to  be  well 
characterized.  The  fourth  and  highest  region  is 
called  Alpine,  and  contains  many  plants  peculiar  to 
Labrador  and  Greenland.  There  are  some  fifty  or 
sixty  of  these,  and  among  them  are  as  many  more 
lowland  species  which  have  emigrated  to  the  sum- 
mit and  manage  to  live  there  in  favorable  seasons, 
though  of  on  much  dwarfed.  The  lichens  are  very 
conspicuous  and  beautiful.  One,  of  a  sulphur  yellow 
color,  is  quite  noticeable,  and  is  a  good  indication 
of  the  visitor's  arrival  in  the  Alpine  district.  An- 


ARCTIC  PLANTS. 


35 


other  is  the  reindeer  moss,  a  very  common  article 
of  food  for  the  most  useful  animal  to  man  in  Lap- 
land. The  best  localities  of  these  arctic  plants  are 
in  the  great  gulfs  or  ravines  upon  the  east  side  of 


Mount  Washington. 


CHAPTER   III. 

EXPLORATION    OF   THE    MOUNTAINS. 

N  his  chapter  upon  the  "  History  of  the  Ex- 
ploration of  the  White  Hills,"  published  in 
1859,  Professor  Tuckerman  has  given  us 
an  admirable  essay  eliminating  the  names  of  the  ear- 
lier explorers,  and  their  labors,  from  conflicting  and 
often  imperfect  statements.  It  would  appear  that 
Darby  Field  of  Pascataquack,  an  Irishman,  was  the 
first  to  ascend  Mount  Washington,  accompanied  by 
two  Indians.  This  was  in  June  1642.  The  route 
lay  from  the  Saco  up  Ellis  River  nearly  to  its 
source,  thence  up  the  projection  known  as  Boott's 
Spur,  between  Tuckerman's  Ravine  and  Oakes' 
Gulf.  The  summit  of  this  spur  is  near  "  Bigelow's 
Lawn,"  upon  the  comparatively  level  tract  at  the 
southern  base  of  Washington. 

Some  authors  have  given  Walter  and  Robert 
Neal  the  credit  of  first  climbing  the  highest  sum- 
mit in  1631.  This  statement  was  made  by  Dr. 
Belknap  in  the  earlier  editions  of  his  "  History  of 
New  Hampshire;"  but  in  his  edition  of  1812  he 


INDIAN  TRADITIONS.  37 

states  that  he  was  in  error.  Field  reported  the  ex- 
istence of  precious  stones,  and  of  "  Muscovy  glass  " 
or  mica.  These  reports  induced  him  to  return  a 
month  later,  accompanied  by  others,  particularly 
by  Thomas  Gorges  and  Mr.  Vines,  two  magistrates 
of  the  province  of  Sir  Fernando  Gorges.  Except 
the  story  of  plates  of  mica  forty  feet  long  (!),  the 
account  of  Field  is  reliable,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  upper  mountainous  region  was  very  much  the 
same  two  hundred  years  since,  as  it  is  now.  John 
Josselyn  made  the  ascent  probably  about  1663  ; 
and  has  preserved  the  traditions  of  the  Indians 
respecting  the  early  history  of  the  mountains. 
They  seemed  to  have  believed  that  all  the  human 
race  were  destroyed  by  a  flood  save  a  single  pair, 
who  escaped  to  the  mountain  top  and  got  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  water.  Other  traditions  repre- 
sented that  the  highest  summit  was  the  residence 
of  the  Great  Spirit,  who  with  a  motion  of  the  hand 
could  raise  a  storm  and  destroy  the  daring  adven- 
turer who  should  irreverently  enter  his  abode. 
Hence  no  Indian  dared  approach  the  summit. 
Their  names  for  the  mountains  were  Agiochook  in 
one  dialect,  and  in  another  Waumbek-Methna,  sig- 
nifying Mountains  with  snowy  foreheads. 

Of  later  visits  we  have  notices  of  "  ranging  " 
companies  who  climbed  the  northwest  part  of  the 
mountains  in  April  29, 1728,  and  on  a  warm  day  in 


38       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

March,  1746.  In  July,  1784  the  summit  was 
reached  by  a  party  of  scientific  inquirers,  consisting 
of  Rev.  Manasseh  Cutler  of  Ipswich,  Massachusetts, 
Rev.  Daniel  Little,  of  Kennebunk,  Maine,  and  Col- 
onel John  Whipple,  of  Dartmouth  (now  Jefferson), 
then  the  most  prominent  inhabitant  of  Cob's  County. 
They  attempted  to  measure  the  height  from  baro- 
metrical observations,  but  unhappily  were  unable  to 
confirm  their  computations  by  a  trigonometrical 
measurement  from  the  plain  below.  They  made 
out  three  zones  of  vegetation  —  "  first,  the  woods ; 
second,  the  bald  mossy  part ;  third,  the  part  above 
vegetation."  The  small  firs  in  the  second  zone, 
they  thought,  may  have  been  "  growing  ever  since 
the  creation,"  although  not  more  than  three  or  four 
inches  high.  They  ascended  by  one  of  the  upper 
tributaries  of  the  Ellis  River,  since  called  Cutler's 
River,  though  the  name  has  become  nearly  obsolete. 
In  July,  1804,  Dr.  Cutler  climbed  the  mountains 
again,  in  company  with  Dr.  W.  D.  Peck,  and  ob- 
tained better  barometrical  observations,  as  well  as  a 
collection  of  the  peculiar  Alpine  plants. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  with  certainty  who 
first  proposed  to  call  the  highest  of  these  summits 
Mount  Washington.  Dr.  Belknap  in  his  "  History 
of  New  Hampshire,"  published  in  1792,  says  of  it,  "it 
has  lately  been  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Mount 
Washington."  He  quotes  from  the  manuscript  of 


ASCENT  ON  HORSEBACK.  39 

Dr.  Cutler  in  another  place,  the  account  of  the 
zones  of  vegetation,  where  mention  is  made  of 
"  Mount  Washington,"  as  if  it  were  well  known. 
As  this  visit  was  made  in  1784,  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  name  was  proposed  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  probably  by  Dr.  Cutler's 
party,  of  which  Drs.  Belknap  and  Fisher  were  par- 
ties, though  not  to  the  summit.  This  is  Professor 
Tuckerman's  view. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  visit- 
ors to  the  White  Mountains  increased  in  number. 
In  1819  the  number  averaged  ten  or  twelve  annu- 
ally, and  the  pioneer  settlers  began  to  provide 
means  for  their  accommodation.  In  1821  the  first 
ladies  climbed  the  summit.  These  were  three  in 
number,  sisters,  —  the  Misses  Austin  of  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire.  With  a  firm  determination  to 
obtain  a  fine  prospect,  they  remained  four  days  near 
the  top  in  a  small  stone  cabin,  until  the  weather  be- 
came propitious.  In  1840  the  first  ascent  on  horse- 
back was  made  by  Abel  Qrawford,  seventy-five  years 
old.  Ethan  Allen  Crawford,  and  Dr.  C.  T.  Jack- 
son, State  Geologist,  were  also  of  the  party.  With 
additional  facilities  the  number  of  visitors  increased, 
so  that  in  1858  it  was  estimated  that  five  thousand 
persons  annually  ascend  the  various  bridle  paths. 
In  1870  the  number  was  estimated  at  seven  thou- 
sand. Of  these  five  thousand  registered  their  names 


40         EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

at  the  Tip-top  House,  and  about  the  same  number 
came  up  the  railroad. 

The  discovery  of  the  "  Notch,"  by  Timothy 
Nash  in  1771,  led  to  the.construction  of  a  more  con- 
venient road  than  had  before  existed  between  the 
sea-coast  and  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the 
State.  Extensive  travelling  led  to  settlement  along 
the  route.  Of  the  pioneers,  we  find  first,  Abel  Craw- 
ford and  Eleazer  Rosebrook.  They  lived  at  the 
base  of  the  "  Giant's  Grave."  Rosebrook  brought 
his  family  to  a  log  hut  at  this  locality  in  1792.  In 
1803  he  built  the  first  public-house  about  the 
mountains.  The  "  Willey  House,"  was  built  in 
1793.  Abel  Crawford  married  the  daughter  of 
Captain  Rosebrook  and  built  the  house  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Crawford  in  Hart's  location,  about  thir- 
teen miles  distant  from  the  "  Giant's  Grave." 

Ethan  Allen  Crawford  succeeded  Captain  Rose- 
brook,  and  became  one  of  the  most  noted  guides  to 
the  summit.  He  was  a  giant,  being  nearly  seven 
feet  in  height  and  a  prodigy  of  strength.  Many 
traditions  are  still  current  of  his  skill  and  strength, 
both  as  guide  and  hunter.  The  "  Notch  House  " 
was  built  for  a  brother,  Thomas  J.  Crawford,  at  the 
foot  of  the  "  Elephant's  Head,"  just  at  the  upper 
entrance  to  the  "Notch."  For  many  years  the 
Mount  Crawford  House  was  kept  open  for  the  ben- 
efit of  summer  visitors  by  Mr.  Davis,  a  son-in-law 


LEVELING  FOR  ALTITUDES.  41 

of  Abel  Crawford  ;  but  in  later  years  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Dr.  S.  A.  Bemis,  who  is  now  the 
Nestor  of  the  mountains. 

In  consequence  of  the  discrepancies  between  the 
early  measurements  of  the  height  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington, a  party  of  engineers  and  others  from  Lan- 
caster visited  the  whole  range  between  the  Notch 
and  Mount  Madison  in  July,  1820,  and  on  a  second 
visit  measured  their  altitudes  with  a  spirit  level. 
The  first  party  consisted  of  Adino  N.  Brackett, 
John  W.  Weeks,  General  John  Wilson,  Charles 
J.  Stuart,  Noyes  S.  Dennison,  and  Samuel  A.  Peaf- 
son  of  Lancaster,  with  Philip  Carrigain  and  E.  A. 
Crawford.  Crawford  was  their  pilot  and  baggage- 
carrier.  They  gave  names  to  Mounts  Pleasant, 
Franklin,  Monroe,  Jefferson,  Adams,  and  Madison, 
and  called  the  Lake  of  the  Clouds  "  Blue  Pond." 
This  was  probably  the  first  party  who  ever  spent 
the  night  upon  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington. 

In  August,  Weeks,  Stuart,  and  Brackett,  ac- 
companied by  Richard  Eastman,  spent  seven  days 
in  leveling  to  the  tops  of  all  these  mountains  from 
Lancaster.  For  five  of  these  days  they  were  at- 
tended by  Amos  Legro,  Joseph  W.  Brackett,  and 
Edward  B.  Moore. 

Of  the  prominent  peaks,  Mount  Clinton  received 
its  name  from  some  undiscoverable  source,  certainly 
before  1837.  Abel  Crawford  called  it  Bald  Hill. 


42       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Mounts  Clay  and  Jackson  were  named  by  Mr. 
Oakes.  This  gentleman  was  with  Professor  Tuck- 
erman,  and  sent  up  his  guide  Amasa  Allen  to  build 
a  fire  on  the  top  of  the  south  spur  of  Clinton,  and 
thus  with  a  fiery  baptism  the  mountain  was  chris- 
tened Jackson.  Mount  Willard  was  named  from 
Mr.  Sidney  Willard  of  Boston  ;  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  name  of  Mount  Webster  was  proposed  by 
Mr.  Willard  for  the  peak  known  to  earlier  visitors 
as  Notch  Mountain.  Lower  down  the  Saco,  Mounts 
Crawford  and  Resolution,  as  well  as  the  Giant's 
Stairs,  received  names  from  Dr.  S.  A.  Bemis.  The 
names  of  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  Oakes's  Gulf,  and 
Bigelow's  Lawn,  were  given  in  honor  of  three  emi- 
nent botanists  who  had  particularly  distinguished 
themselves  in  the  study  of  the  White  Mountain 
flora,  to  three  fine  localities  of  plants  as  well  as 
marked  topographical  features.  It  is  difficult  to 
ascertain  the  origin  of  many  of  the  names  of  natu- 
ral objects  about  the  mountains.  Dr.  Bemis  has 
perhaps  applied  more  appellations  than  any  other 
person  to  these  features.  He  has  been  acquainted 
with  all  the  pioneers,  and  has  for  many  years  re- 
sided in  Hart's  Location.  Other  names  have  been 
given  by  chance  visitors,  and  preserved  by  usage 
among  guides. 


SUMMIT   OF  MOUNT   WASHINGTON. 
(The  Depot  and  Summit  Honso.) 


THE  STONE   CABIN.  43 

HOUSES    ON   THE    SUMMIT. 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  a  rude  bridle-path 
in  1819  by  Ethan  Crawford,  it  was  perceived  that 
a  house  of  some  sort  was  needed  upon  the  summit, 
where  visitors  could  spend  the  night.  Hence 
Mr.  Crawford  constructed  a  stone  cabin  near  the 
top  of  Mount  Washington,  by  the  side  of  a  spring. 
In  this  was  spread  an  abundance  of  soft  moss  for 
beds,  and  thus  travellers  could  be  enabled  to  view 
the  setting  and  rising  of  the  sun.  After  awhile  a 
small  stove  was  brought  up,  with  an  iron  chest  and 
a  long  roll  of  sheet  lead.  The  chest  was  the 
receptacle  for  the  camping  blankets,  —  bear  and 
hedgehog-proof,  —  and  the  lead  was  the  register 
for  visitors.  Every  winter  this  house  was  seriously 
damaged.  The  roof  would  be  blown  away,  and  the 
stones  fall  down  from  the  walls,  the  chest  and  stove 
remaining  sadly  rusted.  Finally  at  the  great  storm 
of  August  27,  1826,  when  the  Willey  family  were 
destroyed  by  an  avalanche,  this  cabin,  with  the  iron 
chest  and  the  blankets,  were  also  swept  down  the 
steep  slope  and  lost.  A  party  had  taken  possession  of 
the  building  for  the  night,  but  were  terrified  by  the 
violence  of  the  storm,  and  had  hastened  down  the 
mountain  just  in  time  to  save  their  lives. 

In  1852,  J.  S.  Hall  and  L.  M.  Rosebrook  built 
the  Summit  House  on  the  very  top  of  the  moun- 


44        EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

tain.  It  is  twenty-four  by  sixty-four  feet,  quite 
low,  with  very  thick  walls  of  stone  firmly  cemented 
together,  and  bolted  down  to  the  solid  rock.  Over 
the  roof  are  four  strong  cables.  This  house  has 
now  stood  for  nearly  twenty  years. 

A  year  later  the  Tip-top  House  was  built  by 
Samuel  F.  Spaulding  &  Co.  It  is  twenty-eight  by 
eighty-four  feet,  and  was  (milt  in  the  same  substan- 

O         v 

tial  manner  as  the  other.  It  had  originally  a  deck 
roof,  upon  which  visitors  could  stand  and  secure 
better  views  than  from  the  ground.  As  shown  in 
one  of  our  views  the  roof  is  now  sharp  pointed,  and 
it  is  not  easy  for  most  persons  to  climb  to  the  ridge- 
pole and  remain  there  in  comfort  long  enough  to 
enjoy  the  scenery.  In  the  rear  of  the  main  rooms 
of  these  houses  are  small  sleeping  apartments,  best 
compared  with  the  state-rooms  of  a  steamer  in  re- 
spect to  size,  and  furnished  with  very  comfortable 
beds.  The  ceiling  is  made  of  cotton  cloth,  and  the 
walls  covered  with  boards  and  then  papered.  The 
windows  are  in  deep  recesses  on  account  of  the  great 
thickness  of  the  walls. 

These  two  houses  were  originally  under  different 
management.  For  the  past  twelve  years  they  have 
been  leased  by  the  proprietor  of  the  Alpine  House 
in  Gorham,  and  many  thousand  people  have  been 
entertained  in  them.  It  is  probable  that  much 
more  commodious  quarters  will  soon  be  prepared  foi 


PUBLIC  HOUSES.  45 

visitors.  The  depot  is  the  latest  building  that  has 
been  erected  upon  the  summit.  This  is  shown  in 
one  of  our  figures  in  its  wintry  aspect. 

There  has  been  a  controversy  concerning  the 
ownership  of  the  land  upon  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington.  In  the  early  legislation  of  New 
Hampshire  respecting  the  unoccupied  lands  of  the 
State,  little  attention  was  paid  to  exact  boundaries ; 
consequently  each  of  the  two  parties  claiming  the 
summit,  has  reason  to  believe  it  to  be  included 
within  their  limits.  Mr.  Bellows,  of  Exeter,  owns 
the  land  upon  the  east  side,  and  was  the  party  in 
possession  till  about  fifteen  years  ago,  when  his 
tenants  were  ejected  by  the  sheriff  acting  for 
Coe  &  Pingry,  of  Bangor,  Maine,  and  Salem, 
Massachusetts.  Probably  $25,000  have  been  spent 
already  in  contesting  the  matter  of  ownership  be- 
fore the  courts. 

HOUSES    AT   THE   BASE    OF    THE    MOUNTAIN. 

The  first  good  public  house  for  summer  visitors 
was  built  on  the  Giant's  Grave,  and  came  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Fabyan.  This  was  destroyed  by  fire 
about  twenty  years  since,  and  has  never  been  re- 
built. The  White  Mountain  House  was  built  by 
Mr.  Rosebrook,  a  descendant  of  the  pioneer  of  that 
name,  about  thirty  years  since.  The  Notch  House, 
kept  by  T.  J.  Crawford,  is  no  longer  in  existence, 


46       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

but  its  place  has  been  more  than  made  good  by  the 
large  and  well  kept  establishment,  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  further  north,  known  as  the  Crawford  House. 
Upon  the  east  side,  is  the  Glen  House,  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Carriage  Road,  kept  by  J.  M.  Thomp- 
son till  his  sudden  death  in  1869,  and  offered  for 
sale  in  1871  by  his  heirs.  This  is  the  largest  house 
near  Mount  Washington,  and  can  easily  accommo- 
date five  hundred  guests  at  one  time. 

CASUALTIES    UPON    THE    MOUNTAIN. 

Several  persons  have  lost  their  lives  upon  Mount 
Washington,  generally  in  consequence  of  neglecting 
the  advice  of  guides.  The  first  was  an  English 
baronet,  named  Strickland.  He  went  up  from  the 
Notch  late  in  October,  1851.  Disregarding  the  ad- 
vice of  his  guide,  he  pushed  on  to  the  summit.  He 
seems  to  have  fallen  down  precipitous  places  sev- 
eral times,  and  finally  to  have  perished  from  ex- 
haustion, probably  in  less  than  twelve  hours  after 
he  started. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1855,  Miss  Lizzie 
Bourne  of  Kennebunk,  Maine,  perished  within 
thirty  rods  of  the  summit.  Wjth  an  uncle  and 
cousin  she  climbed  the  mountain  on  foot ;  but  after 
reaching  tire  Half-way  House,  the  clear  sky  dis- 
appeared ;  they  became  enveloped  in  a  thick  cloud, 
and  strong  winds  met  them  in  front.  Not  knowing 


CASUALTIES.  47 

their  nearness  to  the  summit,  they  were  compelled 
to  shelter  themselves  behind  a  few  rough  stones, 
and  Miss  Bourne  was  not  strong  enough  to  sur- 
vive the  shock. 

August  7,  1856,  Benjamin  Chandler  of  Wil- 
mington, Delaware,  started  from  the  Glen  House 
for  the  summit  late  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  rainy, 
windy,  and  very  cold.  He  was  about  seventy-five 
years  of  age.  He  seems  to  have  wandered  from 
the  path,  but  no  one  knows  how  long  he  survived. 
His  remains  were  not  found  for  more  than  a  year, 
when  they  were  accidentally  discovered  about  half 
a  mile  east  of  the  summit. 

DR.  BALL'S  EXPERIENCE.  . 

A  severer  exposure  was  that  of  Dr.  B.  L.  Ball, 
of  Boston,  the  last  of  October,  1855.  This  gentle- 
man walked  from  the  Glen  House  to  the  Half-way 
House,  while  workmen  were  engaged  in  building 
the  Carriage  Road.  The  mountain  was  covered 
with  clouds,  and  after  climbing  some  distance  above 
the  "  Ledge  "  he  returned  to  the  camp  and  spent 
the  night  with  the  laborers.  The  next  morning  the 
clouds  seemed  about  breaking,  and  he  started  with 
the  intention  of  reaching  the  summit  if  possible. 
The  rain  was  changed  to  sleet  and  snow,  and  the 
temperature  fell  very  much.  Though  very  un- 
comfortable, Dr.  Ball  believed  himself  to  be  near 


48       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

the  summit,  and  struggled  on,  understanding  that 
he  could  find  provisions  and  shelter  in  one  of  the 
houses  there.  His  description  of  the  storm  is  well 
appreciated  by  our  party :  — 

"  I  could  not  have  believed  that  the  storm  could 
be  more  violent  than  it  had  been.  Yet  here  it  was 
more  furious  than  ever.  It  now  had  the  full  sweep 
of  the  mountain  top,  the  highest  point  of  the  whole 
group,  of  the  loftiest  mountain  for  hundreds  of 
miles  around.  If  ten  hurricanes  had  been  in 
deadly  strife  with  each  other,  it  could  have  been 
no  worse.  The  winds,  as  if  locked  in  mortal 
embrace,  tore  along,  twisting  and  whirling,  and 
mingling  their  roaring  with  the  flinty  rattling  of  the 
snow  grains  in  one  confused  din." 

It  is  not  clear  that  Dr.  Ball  reached  the  summit. 
Yet  persons  sometimes  reach  the  summit  without 
knowing  it.  An  incident  of  this  sort  is  related 
by  Mr.  Noyes,  of  Boston.  One  cloudy  morning 
he  was  standing  in  the  door  of  the  Summit  House, 
when  he  thought  he  heard  the  footsteps  of  some 
one  approaching.  He  listened,  and  soon  discerned 
in  the  fog,  the  form  of  a  man.  He  watched  him, 
and  saw  him  pass  the  house.  Thinking  the  man 
might  be  bewildered^  Mr.  Noyes  followed  him,  and 
on  coming  up  inquired  :  "  Which  way  are  you  go- 
ing, sir  ?  " 

"  Going?  I  am  going  to  the  Summit  House,  if 
I  can  find  it." 


DR.  BALL'S  EXPERIENCE.  49 

"  How  far  do  you  expect  to  travel,  to  reach  it  ?  " 
inquired  Mr.  Noyes. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know.  I  have  been  tugging  on 
for  the  last  hour,  expecting  to  find  it.  They  told 
me  it  was  only  a  few  miles  along;  and  I  should 
think  I  had  already  been  travelling  fifteen  !  " 

"  But  the  course  you  are  on  now,"  said  Mr. 
Noyes,  "  will  take  you  over  the  other  side  to  the 
Crawford  House.  You  have  already  passed  the 
Summit  House."  And  the  man  was  led  back,  as- 
tonished to  find  he  had  passed  one  house  ten  rods 
from  the  path,  and  the  other  but  six. 

Dr.  Ball  lost  his  way,  and  when  night  came  on 
he  crawled  behind  some  stunted  bushes,  and  with 
an  umbrella  contrived  to  shelter  himself  a  little  from 
the  wind.  All  the  next  day  he  wandered  about  in 
the  snow  unable  to  find  the  way  down,  and  the 
second  night  was  spent  in  the  same  place.  The 
following  day  he  was  found  by  a  party  of  men  very 
weak  but  in  good  spirits.  He  had  been  for  sixty 
hours  exposed  to  the  severe  winter  weather  of  the 
mountain,  and  had  had  no  sleep  for  eighty,  yet  he 
managed  to  keep  himself  alive  without  food  or 
water.  His  health  was  somewhat  injured  "by  this 
exposure,  but  there  is  no  case  on  record  in  the  an- 
nals of  Mount  Washington  experience,  where  any 
person  has  survived  such  a  terrible  exposure  as  Dr. 
B.  L.  Ball. 

4 


50       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 
MOUNT    WASHINGTON    OBSERVATORY. 

In  1854,  Timothy  Eaton  of  Jefferson,  erecteo 
upon  the  summit  a  sort  of  tower  about  forty  feel 
high,  which  was  called  an  observatory.  It  was  sc( 
arranged  that  with  a  rope  and  gearing,  a  party  of 
eight  persons  could  be  elevated  to  its  summit,  and 
have  a  much  better  view  than  from  the  top  of  the 
mountain.  This  tower  was  very  much  like  the 
derricks  used  in  boring  wells  for'petroleum  in  Penn- 
sylvania. It  cost  about  six  hundred  dollars.  It 
did  not  prove  to  be  a  profitable  investment,  and 
was  soon  abandoned,  not  a  trace  of  it  remaining  in 
three  years  after  its  erection. 

EARLIER   WINTER   VISITS    TO    THE    SUMMIT. 

Fear  of  accident  has  prevented  most  people  from 
attempting  to  climb  Mount  Washington  in  the 
winter.  In  the  month  of  November,  1855,  a  month 
after  Dr.  Ball's  experience,  another  party  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  top  in  safety,  and  in  enjoying  a  good 
view.  One  of  the  most  hardy  men  in  the  party 
that  rescued  Dr.  Ball,  said  that  with  a  friend  he  at- 
tempted to  make  the  ascent  in  February  ;  but  when 
they  arrived  within  a  mile  of  the  summit  they  were 
obliged  to  turn  back  almost  frozen. 

Two  successful  attempts  to  reach  the  summit  in 
winter  previous  to  1870  are  on  record.  The  first 


f 
WINTER   VISITS.  51 

was  made  by  Mr.  Osgood  of  Lancaster,  December 
7,  1858,  with  a  small  party  of  friends.  He  was  an 
officer  of  the  law,  and  went  up  to  serve  a  legal 
process  upon  the  property  there.  His  ascent  was 
thus  described  in  the  "  Coos  Republican  :  " 

"  Arrived  at  the  summit,  the  view  is  represented 
as  having  been  sublime  beyond  the  power  of  descrip- 
tion, Mr.  Osgood  averring  that  in  his  many  trips  on 
the  mountain  he  never  beheld  so  extended  and  yet 
grand  and  terrific  a  view  as  burst  upon  them  on 
that  lonely  height.  Measures  were  immediately 
taken  to  enter  the  houses,  which,  as  they  were 
covered  with  snow,  was  a  labor  of  time.  Unable 
to  obtain  ingress  at  the  doors,  they  forced  their  way 
in  through  the  windows,  on  which  the  frost  had 
formed  a  foot  and  a  half  in  thickness.  The  walls 
and  all  the  furniture  were  draped  with  some  four 
inches  of 'frost,  and  the  air  was  biting  in  the  ex- 
treme. It  was  like  a  tomb,  and  a  lamp  was  neces- 
sary in  this  snow  cavern,  to  enable  the  party  to 
distinguish  the  surrounding  objects.  As  delay  was 
dangerous  in  the  extreme,  and  having  perfected 
their  legal  duty,  the  two  prepared  to  return.  Upon 
emerging  from  the  houses  they  beheld  to  the  south- 
west a  cloud,  rapidly  increasing  in  volume,  and  roll- 
ing on  toward  them.  When  first  seen  it  was  small 
in  magnitude,  but  it  increased  in  size  with  alarm- 
ing velocity,  soon  spreading  over  the  entire  south. 


52        EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

They  knew  it  was  a  frost  cloud,  and  that  to  be 
caught  in  its  folds  would  probably  be  fatal,  and  they 
hastened  to  avoid  it.  They  had  just  entered  the 
woods,  at  the  base  of  the  ledge,  when  it  came  upon 
them.  So  icy  and  penetrating  was  its  breath,  that 
to  have  encountered  its  blinding,  freezing  power  on 
the  unprotected  height,  would  have  been  to  have 
perished  with  it  as  a  pall  to  cover  them.  The  party 
reached  the  glen  in  safety,  and  were  heartily  wel- 
comed by  their  friends,  who,  well  knowing  the 
danger  attending  this  never  before  accomplished 
feat,  awaited  them  with  much  anxiety." 

The  other  ascent  was  made  by  a  party  from  Lan- 
caster, February  11,  1862.  A  record  of  their  visit 
is  preserved  in  a  stereograph,  both  on  a  card  and  as 
a  transparency,  sold  about  the  mountains.  The  view 
is  of  the  interior  of  the  Summit  House,  showing  a 
small  pile  of  snow  upon  a  bedstead  and  other  ob- 
jects that  had  drifted  in  through  a  crack  in  the 
building.  The  following  account  of  this  visit  was 
written  by  J.  H.  Spaulding,  a  member  of  the 
party :  — 

"  ASCENT    OF    MOUNT   WASHINGTON    IN    FEBRUARY. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  of  February  10,  1862, 
F.  White,  C.  C.  Brooks,  and  J.  H.  Spaulding,  all 
of  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  started  from  that  place  for 
the  top  of  Mount  Washington.  At  eight  o'clock 


ASCENT  IN  FEBRUARY.  53 

the  same  evening  we  started  up  the  Mountain  from 
the  Glen  House. 

"  The  moon  was  shining  brightly,  as  with  ample 
packs  and  provisions  we  slowly  walked  up  the  car- 
riage road  on  snow-shoes.  The  night  was  still, 
and  highly  excited  as  we  were  by  the  thoughts  of 
the  adventure  before  us,  the  spring  of  our  shoes  on 
the  glittering  crust  seemed  music  to  us,  while  the 
tree-shadows  thrown  across  our  path,  and  the  white 
winding  road  contrasting  with  the  evergreen  thick- 
ets, combined  to  make  our  night  walk  quite  varied 
in  incidents ;  and  it  was  past  midnight  when  we ' 
arrived  at  '  The  Ledge.'  The  great  barn  built 
there  last  season,  we  found  in  ruins,  and  this,  with 
the  fire-scathed  trees,  boldly  relieved  by  moonlight, 
the  glittering  ledge,  and  the  dark  old  shanty  in 
the  background,  combined  to  present  a  very  wild 
picture. 

"  At  the  shanty  we  kindled  a  fire,  took  a  lunch, 
and  upon  an  old  straw  bed,  laid  on  a  snow-drift, 
drowsed  until  daybreak. 

"  At  sunrise  we  started  for  the  '  Tip  Top,'  with- 
out snow-shoes.  Soon  began  the  labor  of  advan- 
cing by  cutting  steps  in  the  ice.  When  we  halted 
to  rest  we  noticed  the  stillness  that  reigned  around 
us ;  not  a  breath  of  air,  not  a  sound  of  running 
water,  —  for  beneath  a  wintry  robe  every  water- 
fall was  chained. 


54       EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

"  How  like  blank  solitude  was  this  death-like 
silence  !  Yet  its  loneliness  was  pleasantly  enlivened 
by  the  wonderful  and  wide-spread  landscape  beneath 
and  around  us,  that  afforded  ample  scope  for  admi- 
ration. Far  away,  and  near  at  hand,  arose  glittering 
peaks.  A  thousand  pyramids  of  smoke  hung  above 
dark  objects,  that  were  roughly  set  in  wide  white 
margins. 

"  What  a  host  of  hopes,  fears,  joys,  and  sorrows 
were  grouped  in  these  homes  below  !  But  we  will 
not  speculate,  for  the  task  before  us  is  to  be  accom- 
"plished  slowly  and  carefully. 

"  About  five  miles  up,  we  came  to  a  wide  field  of 
ice,  where  we  could  not  possibly  advance  without 
cutting  deep  steps.  It  is  not  fiction  to  declare 
that,  as  the  pieces  of  ice  went  whirling  down  like 
a  heavy  shower  of  hail,  at  least  eight  hundred  feet 
below,  a  shudder,  such  as  teaches  poor  mortality 
its  weakness,  came  over  us. 

"  One  false  step  or  careless  motion,  in  such  a 
place,  would  have  sent  .us  down,  down,  and  given 
us  a  name  with  other  victims  of  rashness.  About 
six  miles  up,  we  came  to  a  deep  drift  that  covered 
many  acres  ;  and  here,  not  being  able  to  follow 
the  road,  we  wandered  for  a  long  way  over  snow 
thrown  up  and  hardened  in  fanciful  wavy  shapes. 
At  one  place  we  climbed  through  the  tops  of  a 
dwarf  growth,  that  had  the  appearance  of  a  buried 
wilderness. 


THE   TIP-TOP  IN  FEBRUARY,   1862.  55 

"  Here  we  took  a  lunch,  and  in  a  brisk  south  wind 
that  had  been  rising  for  the  last  half  hour,  found 
the  temperature  27°  above  zero. 

"  Looking  towards  Mount  Carter,  we  beheld  a 
long  line  of  black  storm-clouds  with  rainbow  tinted 
borders,  whirling  wildly  over,  and  filled  with  fear 
for  the  coming  night,  up  we  hastened,  — yet  gained 
our  object  slowly,  for  at  one  time,  when  I  had 
slipped  down,  I  looked,  and  both  of  my  compan- 
ions were  down  too;  but  remembering  the  old 
adage  that  '  misery  loves  company,'  I  kept  silent. 

"  As  we  approached  the  Tip-top  a  heavy  black 
cloud  was  whirling  over ;  and  as  the  wind  with  a 

O  * 

roar  like  thunder  drove  the  wintry  mass  toward 
us,  we  became  enveloped  in  its  embrace,  and  soon 
the  snow  and  frost  had  so  whitened,  that  per- 
chance old  winter  was  never  better  personated 
than  by  us. 

"  Words  are  a  very  imperfect  medium  by  which 
to  picture  the  scene  that  the  Tip-top  presented. 
The  two  houses  stand  out  in  bold  relief,  and  every 
rock-heap  and  great  rocks  about  the  summit,  are 
now  to  be  seen  through  a  thick  covering  of  glitter- 
ing ice.  Curious  leaves  of  snow  stand  out  from 
the  jagged  parts  on  the  northerly  side,  in  all  the 
imaginable  and  fanciful  shapes  that  the  frost  has 
ever  pictured  on  the  window  glass.  For  the  last 
half  mile  below  the  top,  we  could  distinctly  see 


56        EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

through  the  ice  and  snow  the  wheel  tracks  made 
in  the  carriage  road  last  season ;  and  with  the 
exception  of  now  and  then  a  deep  drift,  the  whole 
mountain  summit  shows  its  rocks.  There  is  a 
great  drift  at  the  southerly  end  of  the  two  houses, 
and  hardened  snow  has  leveled  up  the  irregular  top 
so  that  with  the  exception  of  the  eternal  wind,  it  is 
comfortable  walking  on  the  crusted  or  ice-pointed 
snow. 

"  The  tops  of  both  houses  are  thickly  coated  with 
solid  ice,  —  rough  and  pointed  in  all  imaginary 
shapes.  We  walked  up  on  to  the  drift,  broke 
away  ice  from  the  southerly  gable-end  window  of 
the  'Summit  House,'  and  taking"  out  a  window 
entered  the  attic,  where,  after  removing  the  snow, 
we  brought  up,  from  the  darkness  and  icy  confusion 
of  a  lower  room,  a  stove,  got  some  wood  from  the 
Tip-top  House,  kindled  a  fire,  and  piling  around 
our  little  stove  a  barricade  of  mattresses,  prepared 
to  pass  the  night. 

"  The  heavy  wind  swept  by  like  thunder,  and 
we  slept. 

"  Two  days'  labor  and  excitement,  with  our 
midnight  walk  to  the  '  Ledge,'  had  imposed  quite  a 
tax  upon  our  powers  of  endurance,  and  we  heeded 
not  the  tempest  that  was  gathering,  till  late  in  the 
morning  we  found  our  habitation  in  a  wild,  thick 
storm.  Language  cannot  paint  the  hopes  and  fears 


THE  TIP-TOP  IN  FEBRUARY,   1862.  57 

that  struggle  in  the  mind  at  such  a  time.  But  to 
make  the  best  of  our  condition,  we  prepared  for  a 
siege,  and  looked  about. 

"  The  interior  of  both  houses  we  found  much  de- 
ranged by  the  winter  storm.  Snow  and  ice,  from 
three  inches  to  five  feet  deep,  lay  piled  in  all  direc- 
tions, the  furniture  being  most  curiously  set  in 
feathery  white  casings. 

"  In  the  bar-room  we  noticed  a  spade  which  was 
cased  in  clear  ice  ;  and  in  one  place  a  little  cord, 
suspended  from  the  roof,  had  assumed  the  appear- 
ance of  a  glass  tube  some  two  inches  thick  and  two 
feet  long.  The  cloth  roofing  and  wall  paper  is  in 
many  rooms  torn  down,  while  fancy  snow-wreaths 
and  icicles  are  all  around  upon  the  walls  and  roof. 
The  darkened  windows,  with  the  thick  covering 

o 

without,  combined  with  the  ceaseless  roar  of  the 
wind,  gave  the  whole  scene  a  chilling  air  of  deso- 
lation. % 

"  To  conclude  without  longer  taxing  the  reader's 
patience.  We  stayed  two  days  and  two  nights  on 
the  top  of  Mount  Washington  ;  experienced  the 
effect  of  a  wild  snow-storm  that  drove  by  us  for 
thirty-six  hours,  had  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
sunrise  scenes  that  imagination  can  picture  ;  saw 
the  sun  go  down  in  a  vast  snow-bank  ;  saw  moon- 
light upon  a  hundred  glittering  peaks ;  found  the 
most  extreme  cold  while  there  indicated  at  5°  be- 


58        EXPLORATION  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

low  zero ;  returned  to  the  Glen  in  a  thick  snow 
storm,  and  now  feel  perfectly  satisfied  with  our 
trip. 

"  We  were  remarkably  well  satisfied  with  v  the 
weather,  and  were  very  lucky  about  climbing  over 
the  ice-clad  rocks.  Should  others  attempt  to  go 
up  among  the  clouds,  for  their  own  sake  they 
should  go  thoroughly  prepared  for  the  worst. 

N"  An  iron-pointed  staff,  with  an  axe,  and  plenty 
of  food  and  clothing,  are  indispensable." 

Our  expedition,  therefore,  was  undertaken  in  the 
face  of  all  previous  experience  among  the  moun- 
tains, excepting  our  own  the  previous  season  on  . 
Moosilauke.  Failure  was  universally  predicted. 
Indeed,  it  was  commonly  reported  in  Bethlehem, 
and  Littleton,  in  January  and  February,  that  one 
of  the  party  had  been  frozen  to  death,  and  was  at 
the  summit  embalmed  in  ice,  waiting  for  the  advent 
of  the  railroad  train,  so  that  he  might  be  taken  to 
some  cemetery  below.  But  we  have  clearly  proved 
to  the  world  that  it  is  possible  for  men  to  spend  the 
winter  upon  this  frozen  peak,  and  not  to  be  deprived 
of  a  weekly  mail.  So  much  finer  are  the  winter 
views  from  the  summit  than  those  of  any  other  sea- 
son of  the  year,  that  we  anticipate  shortly  the  occu- 
pation of  one  of  the  hotels  for  the  benefit  of  visitors 


IN  THE  FUTURE. 


59 


in  all  months  of  the  year,  and  should  not  be  greatly 
surprised  to  learn  that  the  engine  had  made  its  way 
through  the  drifts,  in  some  favorable  season,  to  the 
very  highest  accessible  point. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    APPROACHES   TO    MOUNT    WASHINGTON. 

ROM  a  distance,  the  routes  toward  the 
White  Mountains  are  quite  numerous,  and 
their  respective  advantages  are  fully  set 
forth  in  the  guide  books.  There  are  now  three 
ways  of  ^ascending  Mount  Washington  from  below : 
two  from  the  west  and  one  from  the  east ;  or  a  rail- 
way, a  carriage  road,  and  a  bridle  path. 

The  first  path  to  the  summit  was  marked  out  by 
Ethan  Crawford  in  1819.  The  visitors  by  this  time 
had  become  so  numerous  that  a  path  was  indispen- 
sable, at  least  as  far  as  to  the  beginning  of  the  Al- 
pine region.  Its  construction  immediately  increased 
the  number  of  visitors.  This  path  commenced  at 
the  Giant's  Grave,  following  the  Ammonoosuc  Val- 
ley to  the  base  of  Washington,  and  then  passing  up 
a  ridge  or  spur  of  the  mountain.  At  some  period 
there  was  a  path  branching  off  from  this  to  the  sum- 
mit of  Mount  Pleasant.  In  1840,  the  bridle  path 
was  cut  from  the  Notch  over  Mounts  Clinton,  Pleas- 
ant, Franklin,  and  Monroe  to  Washington.  This 
is  nine  miles  in  length. 


CARRIAGE  ROAD.  61 

Soon  afterwards  a  longer  bridle-path  was  cut  from 
the  Mount  Crawford  House,  in  Hart's  Location,  to 
the  summit  of  Mount  Washington,  by  Mr.  Davis. 
This  passed  first  over  Mount  Crawford,  and  from 
thence  along  the  east  side  of  Dry-  or  Mount  Wash- 
ington River.  It  is  now  wholly  disused. 

Still  later,  the  path  between  the  Fabyan  House 
and  "  Cold  Spring,"  or  the  base  of  Washington,  was 
enlarged,  and  became  a  carriage  road.  This  was 

O  '  O 

in  use,  though  kept  in  poor  repair,  till  it  was  super- 
seded by  the  "  Fabyan  Turnpike  "  in  1866.  The 
earlier  road  lay  mostly  upon  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  below  what  is  now  known  as  Twin  River. 
Cold  Spring  is  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  higher 
up  the  mountain  than  the  lower  depot,  or  what  is 
called  "  Marshfield  "  upon  the  guide-board  at  the 
entrance  of  the  turnpike. 

MOUNT    WASHINGTON    CARRIAGE    ROAD    COMPANY. 

In  June,  1853,  a  company  was  chartered  to  build 
a  carriage  road  from  the  Glen  to  the  Tip  Top  House, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  organized  September  1,  1853,  by  the  choice  of 
president,  secretary,  and  directors.  The  length  of 
this  road  is  a  little  less  than  eight  miles.  .  Its  course 
is  indicated  upon  our  map.  The  work  of  its  con- 
struction commenced  in  1855.  By  its  original  de- 
sign, the  road  was  to  be  sixteen  feet  wide,  macad- 


62  APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

amized,  and  to  have  a  protection-wall  three  feet 
high  in  dangerous  places.  The  road  was  completed 
as  far  as  the  "  Ledge,"  or  half  way,  in  1856.  In 
1861  it  was  completed  to  the  summit.  It  is  nearly 
double  the  length  of  the  old  bridle-path,  as  the 
grade  must  necessarily  be  much  less.  The  average 
grade  is  twelve  feet  in  one  hundred,  and  the  steep- 
est is  about  sixteen  feet  in  one  hundred,  two  and 
one  half  miles  from  the  Glen.  The  road  was  com- 
menced under  the  superintendence  of  C.  H.  V. 
Cavis,  engineer.  The  road  is  kept  in  excellent  re- 
pair, and  the  rates  of  toll  are  not  burdensome,  con- 
sidering the  expense  of  building.  There  is  a  small 
house  half-way  up  the  mountain,  at  the  point  where 
the  trees  terminate  and  the  arctic  zone  commences. 
But  the  greatest  triumph '  of  engineering  skill  is 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  and  is  what  is 
sometimes  fancifully  called  the  Sky  Railway. 

MOUNT   WASHINGTON    RAILWAY. 

During  the  season  of  summer  travel,  steam  cars 
run  daily  (Sundays  excepted)  over  the  Mount 
Washington  Railway,  an  iron  track  running  \\\>  the 
west  side  of  the  mountain  to  the  very  summit,  a 
distance  of  two  miles  and  thirteen  sixteenths,  and 
an  ascent  of  3,625  feet.  There  is  a  small  collection 
of  buildings  at  the  lower  end  of  the  railroad,  seven 
miles  from  the  White  Mountain  House,  and  twenty- 
four  from  Littleton. 


MOUNT  WASHINGTON  RAILWAY.  63 

The  first  effort  in  the  direction  of  ascending 
Mount  Washington  by  steam  power  seems  to  have 
been  made  by  Mr.  Sylvester  Marsh,  formerly  of 
Chicago,  Illinois,  and  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  but 
now  residing  at  Littleton,  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
president  of  the  railway  company.  He  invented 
the  special  contrivances  needed  to  adapt  motive 
machines  to  a  highly  inclined  plane. 

It  was  found  very  difficult  at  the  outset  to  con- 
vince mechanicians  and  capitalists  of  the  feasibility 
of  this  ascending  railway.  Even  an  inspection  of 
the  working  models  failed  to  give  much  satisfaction. 
One  prominent  railroad  manager  is  said  to  have 
thrown  aside  the  early  letters  of  Mr.  Marsh  as  the 
writing  of  a  maniac.  The  work  was  commenced, 
relying  chiefly  upon  his  own  private  resources,  and 
little  encouragement  was  afforded  by  capitalists  till 
an  engine  was  actually  running  over  a  portion  of 
the  route. 

Application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  of  New 
Hampshire  in  1858  to  grant  a  charter  for  a  steam 
railway  from  their  bases  to  the  summits  of  Mounts 
Washington  and  Lafayette.  A  model  of  the  inven- 
tion was  exhibited,  and  it  was  stated  that  the  peti- 
tioner and  his  friends  would  assume  the  expense  of 
the  enterprise.  The  petition  was  received  with  de- 
rision. An  amendment  was  offered  by  the  "  wit  of 
the  house,"  that  a  charter  be  granted  for  a  railroad 


64     APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 
from  the    summit  of  Mount  Washington    to   the 

O 

moon  !  The  Legislature,  however,  after  sufficient 
deliberation,  charitably  granted  a  charter,  allowing 
the  cars  to  run  for  twenty  years,  or  a  longer  time 
if  not  then  abrogated,  in  accordance  with  the  usual 
formulas  of  railroad  laws  in  New  Hampshire.  It 
is  also  provided  that  it  .must  keep  a  proper  dis- 
tance from  the  carriage  road  coming  up  from  the 
Glen  House,  either  the  constructed  or  surveyed 
route,  except  by  consent  of  the  owners  of  the  latter. 
The  actual  work  of  construction  did  not  commence 
for  a  number  of  years. 

THE    FABYAN    TURNPIKE. 

As  a  preliminary  operation,  it  was  found  desirable 
to  build  a  new  turnpike  from  the  stage  road  near 
the  White  Mountains  to  the  point  where  the  ascent 
by  rail  should  commence.  Work  upon  it  began  in 
April,  1866.  It  is  located  along  the  Ammonoosuc 
River  for  six  miles,  starting  at  the  old  Fabyan  stand, 
about  five  miles  northwest  of  the  Crawford  House. 
The  route  has  nearly  the  same  objective  point  as 
the  older  carriage  road,  but  at  the  beginning  it  lies 
along  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  The  toll-gate  is 
upon  what  was  formerly  called  the  "  Giant's  Grave," 
a  long  mound  of  river  gravel,  deposited  in  past  mil- 
lenniums by  the  Ammonoosuc,  though  at  first  by 
some  geologists  fancied  to  have  been  made  by  the 


FAB  Y AN  TURNPIKE.  65 

reaction  of  oceanic  waves  against  the  hill-side.  A 
company  has  been  formed  to  erect  a  commodious 
hotel  here,  but,  for  some  reason  not  made  known  to 
the  public,  the  work  has  been  delayed.  The  old 
"  Giant's  Grave  "  has  been  entirely  removed,  much 
to  the  regret  of  the  community,  especially  as  the 
necessity  for  the  expensive  grading  is  not  apparent. 
Just  within  the  toll-gate  are  the  graves  of  some  of 
the  Crawford  family  and  others. ,  The  road  passes 
over  steep  hills  of  gravel,  and  then  through  the 
woods  north  of  the  river  to  the  "  Upper  Falls." 
These  continue  for  about  three  hundred  feet,  the 
water  falling  about  fifty  feet  and  winding  through 
a  narrow,  zigzag  gorge.  After  further  windings  in 
the  forest,  the  road  arrives  at  "  Twin  River,"  so 
called  because  a  tributary  runs  parallel  to  the  Am- 
monoosuc  for  a  considerable  distance,  making  the 
stream  double.  The  bridge  is  on  the  west  border  of  a 
clearing  of  perhaps  one  hundred  acres,  called  "  Twin 
River  Farm."  This  clearing  is  tolerably  free  from 
boulders,  and  is  quite  productive,  and  the  next  sum- 
mer's visitors  may  be  fortunate  enough  to  taste  of 
the  early  vegetables  grown  here.  This  spot  is  about 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  White  Mountain  House, 
and  it  is  spoken  of  as  possibly  the  site  of  the  future 
junction  of  the  Mount  Washington  Railway  with 
the  extension  of  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
from  near  Littleton.  The  land  rises  more  rapidly 

5 


66   APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON.  ' 

above  Twin  River,  so  that  ordinary  locomotives 
cannot  pass  this  point.  A  small  dwelling-house 
has  already  been  erected  here. 

After  two  miles  more  of  travelling  through  the 
woods  up  "  Winding  Hill "  we  reach  the  end  of  tlit 
turnpike.  Here  are  a  few  buildings,  consisting  of  a 
hotel,  two  large  barns,  one  or  two  dwelling-houses, 
a  steam  saw-mill,  and  the  various  edifices  necessary 
for  the  accommodation  of  a  railroad.  The  village 
is  inhabited  in  the  winter  by  a  party  of  lumbermen. 
The  turnpike  is  kept  in  excellent  repair,  the  tolls 
being  sufficient  to  keep  it  in  good  condition.  Its 
cost  was  upwards  of  $10,000. 

THE    RAILROAD. 

The  railroad  was  commenced  in  May,  1866.  It 
starts  from  a  point  2,668  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  and  3,625  below  the  summit.  The  distance 
traversed  is  two  miles  and  thirteen  sixteenths.  The 
average  grade  is  1,300  feet  to  the  mile,  the  maxi- 
mum being  1,980  feet  to  the  mile,  or  thirteen  and  a 
half  inches  to  the  yard.  There  are  nine  curves  on 
the  line,_yarying  from  497  to  945  feet  radius.  The 
first  year  the  road  was  built  a  distance  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  In  1867,  the  track  was  extended 
to  "  Waumbek  Junction,"  a  distance  of  one  mile 
and  eight  rods.  Work  was  resumed  May  7,  1868, 
and  in  eighty-four  working  days  it  had  advanced 


4  TIIE  RAILROAD.  67 

more  than  a  mile,  or  to  the  top  of  "  Jacob's  Ladder." 
The  work  was  continued  till  the  cold  weather  set 
in,  and  the  last  few  rods  of  the  track  were  laid  in 
July,  1869. 

The  road  was  built  under  the  superintendence  of 
J.  J.  Sanborn  of  Franklin,  New  Hampshire.  The 
cost  of  the  road  has  already  exceeded  $120,000,  and 
when  the  depots,  turn-outs,  and  rolling  stock  are 
fully  completed,  it  will  reach  about  $150,000. 
About  800,000  feet  of  sawed  lumber  have  been 
used  in  its  construction,  all  of  which  was  cut  at  the 
steam  mill  near  the  depot. 

The  track  consists  of  three  rails,  the  outer  four 
feet  seven  and  one  half  inches  apart,  which  sustain 
the  principal  weight  of  the  rolling  stock,  the  inner 
a  cog-rail,  which  is  the  indispensable  peculiarity  of 
this  railway.  All  three  of  the  rails  rest  upon  tim- 
bers laid  lengthwise  upon  sawed  ties  three  and  a 
half  feet  apart.  The  lateral  timbers  were  originally 
covered  by  a  narrow  strip  of  iron,  but  these  are 
rapidly  giving  way  to  a  small  T  rail  of  more  mod- 
ern appearance.  The  central  rail  is  four  inches 
wide,  and  is  surmounted  by  two  pieces  of  wrought 
angle  iron,  each  twelve  feet  long,  three  inches  wide, 
and  three  eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  These  strips 
are  placed  upon  their  edges,  parallel  to  each  other, 
and  are  connected  by  strong  iron  pins  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  diameter,  and  four  inches  apart  from  cen- 


68      APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

» 

tre  to  centre.  It  may  be  likened  to  a  ladder  fast- 
ened to  a  wide  plank.  This  cog-rail  is  held  down 
by  spikes  and  flanges.  .  The  teeth  of  the  driving- 
wheel  of  the  engine  play  into  the  spaces  between 
the  bolts,  arid  as  it  revolves  the  whole  engine  is 
made  to  move,  resting  upon  the  outer  rail.  The 
operation  is  practically  one  cog-wheel  working  into 
another.  These  cog-rails  have  cost  about  two  dol- 
lars per  foot  delivered  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 

THE    ENGINE. 

At  the  first  view  of  the  engine,  one  is  reminded 
of  a  pile-driver.  The  boiler  is  upright,  tubular, 
and  is  bolted  firmly  to  the  frames.  There  is  a 
covering  for  the  engineer,  and  a  tender  is  attached 
for  storing  water  and  fuel,  as  in  ordinary  railroad 
engines.  The  driving-shaft  is  connected  with  two 
cylinders,  with  a  crank  shaft  geared  into  the  centre 
so  as  to  reduce  the  speed  and  multiply  the  power. 
A  twenty-four  inch  gear  works  into  a  six-inch  gear, 
and  the  engine  makes  four  revolutions  to  one  of  the 

o 

driver.  Thus  the  contrivances  in  this  mountain 
engine  are  adapted  to  develop  power  at  the  expense 
of  the  speed.  Force  may  also  be  required  at  times 
to  hold  the  train  at  rest  upon  a  high  grade.  When 
moving,  the  engine  always  takes  the  down-hill  end 
of  the  train.  In  ascending,  a  strong  wrought-iron 
"  dog  "  works  into  a  wheel  rolling  on  the  cog-rail, 


STOPPING  THE  TRAIN.  69 

preventing  the  train  from  falling  back  a  single  inch. 
The  accompanying  sketch  will  give  a  good  idea  of 
the  engine. 

The  contrivances  for  stopping  the  train  are  also 
ingenious  and  peculiar.  First  is  the  friction  brake, 
consisting  of  an  iron  band  extending  around  each 
wheel,  tightened  at  will.  Second  is  the  power  of 
reversing  the  driving  wheel.  Next  there  are  atmos- 
pheric brakes  upon  each  side  of  the  cars.  Their 
application  is  so  successful  that  a  platform  or  pas- 
senger car  may  be  detached  from  the  engine  and 
lowered  by  itself,  being  completely  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  brakeman.  The  mechanics  who  came 
up  in  1866  and  1868  to  witness  the  operation  of  the 
engine,  satisfied  themselves  perfectly  of  the  adapt- 
edness  of  these  atmospheric  brakes  to  their  office. 
These  brakes  enable  the  train  to  descend  without 
the  use  of  steam.  There  are  in  all  five  or  six  ways 
of  stopping  the  trains. 

Notwithstanding  the  perfection  of  these  contriv- 
ances, many  persons  apprehend  that  there  is  a  lia- 
bility to  serious  disasters.  Such  may  have  their 
fears  removed  by  recalling  the  occurrence  of  July 
29,  1869.  When  the  train  was  descending  "  Ja- 
cob's Ladder,"  the  steepest  grade  upon  the  whole 
road,  an  unusual  noise  was  heard  beneath  the  en- 
gine. .The  engineer  signaled  the  brakeman  to  stop 
the  train,  but  the  warning  was  not  noticed  at  first. 


70      APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

The  signal  was  quickly  repeated^  and  in  an  instant 
the  brake  was  applied,  and  the  train  stopped.  It 
appeared  that  the  axle  of  the  driving  wheel  had 
broken.  Such  a  casualty  up^on  an  ordinary  locomo- 
tive is  of  a  very  serious  nature,  and  usually  involves 
the  destruction  of  the  train.  But  this  mountain 
train  was  stopped  in  an  instant,  and  the  detached 
wheels  scarcely  changed  their  positions,  while  no 
very  sensible  jar  was  experienced  by  the  passen- 
gers. This  occurrence  has  demonstrated  that  the 
train  is  completely  under  the  control  of  the  engi- 
neer ;  for  a  more  serious  accident,  or  one  in  a  more 
dangerous  position  could  not  have  happened,  yet  no 
injuries  were  received  by  any  one.  Hence  so  long 
as  the  track  is  kept  in  good  condition,  no  one  need 
be  apprehensive  of  danger  in  travelling  over  the 
Mount  Washington  Railway. 

The  first  engine  brought  to  the  mountain  was 
built  by  Campbell,  Whittier,  and  Company,  of  Rox- 
bury,  Mass.,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  It  weighs  about 
four  tons,  and  is  rated  at  twenty-five  horse-power. 
Three  new  ones  (see  the  figure)  have  been  built 
by  Walter  Aiken,  of  Frarfklin,  N.  H.,  each  weigh- 
ing six  and  a  half  tons,  and  rated  at  about  fifty 
horse-power  ;  but  on  account  of  the  gearing  they 
are  practically  two  hundred  horse-power.  The  car- 
riage for  passengers  resembles  a  horse-car,  though 
longer,  with  a  roof,  side  windows,  and  doors  at  the 


A  STEEP   GRADE.  71 

ends.  There  is  an  aisle  through  the  centre,  and 
seats  are  provided  for  forty- eight  persons.  In  the 
first  cars  used,  the  seats  were  swung  so  as  to  secure 
for  them  a  horizontal  position  upon  all  the  grades. 
Walking  through  the  car  is  like  travelling  up  and 
down  the  roof  of  a  building.  Some  of  the  cars  have 
the  sides  open,  and  can  be  used  only  when  the 
weather  is  sure  to  be  warm,  and  the  wind  is  not 
boisterous. 

THE    ROUTE. 

The  lower  depot  is  upon  the  west  bank  of  the 
Ammonoosuc,  at  the  end  of  the  turnpike.  It  is  a 
plain  wooden  edifice  about  sixty  feet  long,  with 
two  stories.  The  stream  is  crossed  by  trestle-work 
about  fifteen  feet  high,  and  the  track  commences 
with  the  grade  of  seventeen  hundred  feet  to  the 
mile,  nearly  as  steep  as  upon  "  Jacob's  Ladder." 
Place  the  end  of  a  ladder  thirty  feet  long  upon  a 
fence  ten  feet  high,  and  an  adequate  idea  of  the  in- 
clination of  the  railway  at  its  commencement  will 
be  exhibited  to  us.  This  steep  incline  does  not 
continue  more  than  three  hundred  feet.  At  three 
quarters  of*  a  mile'  is  the  first  water  station.  The 
water  comes  from  a  spring  very  near  the  track,  a 
little  beyond  "  Cold  Spring,"  which  affords  a  de- 
lightful halting  place  for  pedestrians.  Before  reach- 
ing "Waumbek  Junction"  the  grade  becomes 
steeper  again.  The  "  Junction  "  is  one  mile  and 


72      APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

eight  rods  in  distance,  and  1,242  feet  higher  than 
the  starting  point.  The  name  is  derived  from  the 
intersection  here  of  the  old  Fabyan  and  Waumbek 
bridle-paths.  At  the  Junction  is  a  small  unused 
building  and  a  water-tank.  Up  to  this  point  the 
road  is  nearly  straight,  and  a  wide  path  has  been 
cut  for  it  through  the  forest.  Just  beyond  there 
are  curves  in  the  track,  the  trees  begin  to  be 
dwarfed,  and  very  shortly  there  is  a  cut  through  a 
ledge  of  andalusite  gneiss,  the  first  rock  passed  over 
in  the  ascent.  The  railway  -also  intersects  the 
Fabyan  bridle-path  just  above  Waumbek  Junction 
and  at  the  foot  of  "  Jacob's  Ladder." 

This  latter  appellation  was  originally  applied  to 
a  zigzag  portion  of  the  Fabyan  path  over  a  steep 
projection  of  the  mountain.  It  now  relates  to  a 
portion  of  the  railroad  in  the  neighborhood,  a  long 
trestle-work,  at  one  point  thirty  feet  high,  and  with 
an  inclination  of  more  than  one  in  three  for  three 
hundred  feet.  This  structure  is  built  as  strongly 
as  any  similar  work  upon  an  ordinary  railroad  which 
has  to  sustain  a  weight  many  times  greater.  Its 
elevation  above  the  ground,  the  steep,  grade,  the 
abrupt  change  in  the  vegetation  from  trees  to  lich- 
ens, the  impressive  views  of  the  valleys,  and  com- 
monly the  first  indications  of  the  powerful  winds  of 
the  upper  air,  forcibly  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
passengers,  especially  as  every  upward  train  stops  at 


THE  SHOULDER  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.      73 

the  tank  to  receive  an  additional  supply  of  water. 
This  tank  is  2,800  feet  above  the  starting  point  and 
is  filled  from  springs  higher  up  the  mountain,  the 
water  being  conveyed  by  lead  pipes  several  hun- 
dred feet. 

Above  Jacob's  Ladder  the  inclination  is  not  very 
steep,  there  being  only  about  eight  hundred  feet  of 
ascent,  in  the  remaining  distance  of  more  than  a 
mile.  The  main  ridge  between  Mounts  Clay  and 
Washington  is  soon  reached,  and  the  traveller 
can  look  down  a  thousand  feet  into  the  "  Gulf  of 
Mexico,"  or  the  deep  chasm  out  of  which  rises  the 
West  Branch  of  Peabody  River,  one  of  the  tributa- 
ries of  the  Androscoggin.  The  fourth  and  last  of 
the  water-tanks  is  placed  at  a  level  of  3,132  feet 
above  the  depot.  The  further  ascent  is  gradual,  the 
broad  shoulder  of  the  mountain  presenting  the  char- 
acteristic features  of  arctic  desolation,  —  a  wide  ex- 
panse of  large  angular  blocks  of  schist  and  granite, 
severed  from  the  now  concealed  ledges  by  the  freez- 
ing agencies  of  centuries.  Between  the  fragments 
may  be  seen  clumps  of  saxifrages,  sandworts,  and 
reindeer  moss,  the  same  species  of  plants  which  en- 
liven the  barren  wastes  of  Labrador  and  Greenland. 
As  far  as  the  upper  limit  of  trees,  boulders  that 
have  been  transported  by  the  glacial  drift  from 
more  northern  summits  are  common.  They  rapidly 
diminish  in  number  and  size  upon  that  point,  and 


74   APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

have  not  been  seen  far  above  the  fourth  water-tank, 
or  above  an  altitude  of  5,800  feet.  The  last  land- 
mark of  interest  along  the  railway  is  the  "  Lizzie 
Bourne  "  monument,  thirty  rods  from  the  summit. 

During  the  height  of  the  season  (Sundays  ex- 
cepted)  double  trains  will  run  up  the  Mount  Wash- 
ington railway,  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  first 
of  October.  The  up-trains  pass  over  the  distance 
in  ninety  minutes,  or  at  the  rate  of  two  miles  per 
hour,  stopping  to  take  in  water  at  each  of  the  four 
tanks.  The  descent  is  accomplished  in  less  time, 
as  there  is  no  occasion  to  stop  for  water  on  the 
way  down.  One  needs  to  ascend  two  or  three  times 
before  the  sense  of  danger  is  entirely  dissipated,  so 
that  he  can  appreciate  and  enjoy  the  novel  condi- 
tions of  the  journey. 

SLIDING    DOWN    HILL. 

The  employees  of  the  company  often  amuse 
themselves  by  sliding  down  the  railway  upon  a 
board.  There  are  two  ways  of  arranging  this 
vehicle  of  conveyance.  The  simplest  and  safest  is 
to  place  the  board  across  -the  central  rail,  and  the 
person  sitting  upon  it  checks  his  course  with  his 
feet,  one  upon  each  side  of  the  rail,  striking  against 
the  ties,  forty  inches  apart.  The  body  must  lean 
backwards  a  little,  else  an  occasional  irregularity  in 
the  rail  will  stop  the  progress  of  the  board,  and  the 


OTHER  MOUNTAIN  RAILWAYS.  75 

passenger  will  be  thrown  off',  at  the  risk  of  breaking 
a  limb.  By  the  other  method  the  board,  perhaps  a 
yard  long,  has  two  narrow  strips  nailed  beneath,  so 
that  it  cannot  slip  off  the  rail,  and  the  experimenter 
can  put  his  feet  upon  it,  using  short  sticks  as  brakes 
to  diminish  the  speed.  The  board  does  not  fit  so 
closely  to  the  rail  as  in  the  first  instance,  so  that 
there  is  less  danger  from  a  sudden  stop  ;  but  there 
is  danger  that  the  brakes  may  become  unmanagea- 
ble. By  the  first  method  a  vast  amount  of  muscular 
energy  is  demanded  in  the  thighs,  and  those  who 
try  it,  will  have  occasion  to  remember  their  journey 
for  days  afterwards,  whenever  attempting  to  walk. 
Persons  have  been  known  to  slide  the  whole 
distance  in  ten  minutes,  but  strangers  are  advised 
to  avoid  these  "  new  methods."  Our  figure  illus- 
trating the  laying  of  the  Kerite  wire  shows  how  the 
slope  may  be  easily  descended. 

OTHER    MOUNTAIN    RAILWAYS. 

It  is  not  a  new  idea  to  use  a  cog-wheel  upon  a 
railway,  as  the  first  road  in  England  where  steam 
was  applied  to  locomotion,  was  constructed  with 
notched  rails.  Ordinary  railroads  do  not  require 
them,  as  there  is  sufficient  friction  between  the  rail 
and  the  wheels  for  all  practical  purposes.  There  is 
a  railway  over  Mount  Cenis,  between  France  and 
Italy,  which  uses  a  different  method  for  climbing 


76   APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

high  grades.  The  power  is  obtained  by  a  "V 
friction  rail "  —  occupying  a  central  position,  just 
as  on  Mount  Washington.  The  rail  is  shaped  like 
two  V's,  Y,  and  two  horizontal  wheels  running  in 
the  grooves  give  rise  to  sufficient  friction  to  draw 
the  trains.  The  grades  are  not  over  four  hundred 
feet  to  the  mile.  The  European  method  would 
certainly  not  be  applicable  to  the  inclination  of  the 
American  road,  while  it  may  answer  very  well  for 
so  small  a  grade  as  that  employed  in  the  Alps.  It 
is  stated  that  a  road  is  in  process  of  construction  in 
South  America,  up  the  Andes,  modeled  after  Mr. 
Marsh's  inventions. 

RAILWAY    UPON    MOUNT    RHIGI. 

When  our  American  railway  was  in  process  of 
construction  it  was  visited  by  a  Swiss  engineer, 
who  took  away  drawings,  etc.,  of  the  machinery  and 
track,  and  has  employed  them  since  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  railway  up  Mount  Rhigi  in  Switzer- 
land, five  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high.  The 
road  is  about  seventeen  thousand  feet  long,  and 
none  of  the  grades  exceed  about  one  foot  in  four. 
The  trestle-work  is  of  iron,  sometimes  over  a  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  there  are  cuttings  in  the  rock 
for  the  road-bed ;  in  one  case  there  is  a  tunnel  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  long.  The  sleepers  are 
two  feet  apart,  and  there  is  a  double  track.  The 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  RAILROAD.  77 

cars  are  like  omnibuses,  seating  forty-five  persons 
below,  and  thirty-six  on  top.  Tiie  total  cost  of  the 
road  has  been  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. Not  less  than  fifty  thousand  people  visit 
Rhigi  annually,  and  there  are  three  daily  trains 
both  ways  to  accommodate  them.  The  speed  is 
greater  than  on  Washington,  the  whole  route  being 
traversed  in  one  hour.  The  centre  cog-rail,  the 
peculiar  feature  of  the  American  road,  is  in  use,  and 
thus  the  new  world  has  set  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation  to  an  older  country.  The  starting  point 
is  at  Vitznau  on  the  Lake  of  the  Four  Cantons. 

The  officers  of  the  Mount  Washington  Railroad 
for  1868  were  Sylvester  Marsh,  of  Littleton,  Presi- 
dent ;  J.  E.  Lyon,  of  Boston,  Hon.  Henry  Keyes, 
of  Newbury,  Vermont,  Judge  Upham,  Hon.  Ons- 
low  Stearns,  and  Nathaniel  White,  of  Concord,  New 
Hampshire,  Directors.  These  directors  represent 
by  their  chief  officers  the  B.  C.  &  M.  R.  R.,  C.  & 
P.  R.  R.,  C.  R.  R.,  N.  R.  R.,  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  Cheney  Express  Company.  These  are  the 
companies  whose  interests  are  promoted  by  the 
prosperity  of  the  mountain  railway. 

MR.  MARSH'S  PATENTS. 

Some  may  be  interested  in  a  more  particular  de- 
scription of  the  inventions  pertaining  to  this  railway 


78     APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

and  rolling  stock.  For  such  we  have  copied  speci- 
fications from  the  letters  patent  issued  by  the 
United  States  to  Sylvester  Marsh,  the  inventor  and 
patentee.  The  first  is  No.  44,965,  dated  Novem- 
ber 8,  1864,  and  relates  to  the  atmospheric  brake  : 

"  Most  or  all  the  brakes  heretofore  constructed 
or  in  use  involve  the  principle  of  the  application 
of  power,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  a  mechanism 
whereby  friction  is  produced  of  an  intensity  propor- 
tionate, to  the  power  applied.  For  reasons  too  well 
known  to  persons  acquainted  with  this  particular 
branch  of  the  art,  it  is  dangerous  and  expensive  to 
use  brakes  of  such  construction  on  inclined  planes. 

"  The  object  of  this  invention  is  the  construction 
of  a  brake  which  on  account  of  the  absence  of  ex- 
cessive friction  on  the  wheels  or  on  the  rails,  are 
less  destructive  to  the  road  and  material ;  a  brake 
in  which  power  of  man  is  applied  neither  directly, 
i.  e.,  through  the  intermediary  of  chains  or  levers 
to  the  wheels  or  to  the  rails,  and  in  which  power 
produced  obtained  at  no  inconsiderable  cost  is  not 
wasted,  i.  e.,  absorbed  by  the  mechanism  actuating 
the  brake ;  and,  lastly,  a  brake  the  force  of  which 
may  be  regulated  at  the  pleasure  of  the  attendant. 
And  my  invention  consists  — 

"  In  coupling  one  or  more  wheels  of  railway  car- 
riages, locomotives,  or  other  wheeled  vehicle  or  ap- 
paratus with  a  movable  piston  or  diaphragm  of  a 


ATMOSPHERIC  BRAKES.  79 

cylinder  filled  with  air,  or  other  more  or  less  elastic 
fluid,  in  combination  with  valves  or  other  equiva- 
lent means  for  regulating  the  egress  from,  and  the 
ingress  to,  or  the  displacement  in  the  said  cylinder 
of  the  contents  thereof,"  etc. 

In  letters-patent  No.  101,895,  dated  April  12, 
1870,  there  is  described  an  "  improvement  in  at- 
mospheric brakes  for  railway  cars."  He  says  :  "In 
the  practical  operation  of  this  apparatus,  I  have 
found  that  although  in  the  upward  travel  of  the  car 
the  valves  or  faucets  are  left  open,  yet  it  takes  ^some 
power  to  move  the  piston  and  small  gears  used  in 
the  apparatus.  For  these,  under  my  former  ar- 
rangement, must  move  with  the  wheels,  as  it  would 
be  dangerous  to  uncouple  them,  because  they  are 
needed  for  instant  use  in  case  any  accident  should 
happen  during  the  ascent. 

"  My  object  in  the  present  invention  is  to  so 
combine  the  coupling  devices  with  the  piston  or 
pistons,  that  the  latter  shall  remain  at  rest  during 
the  ascent  of  the  car,  and  yet  be  ready  for  instan- 
taneous operation,  should  any  accident  occur  which 
might  otherwise  cause  the  car  to  descend. 

"  To  this  end  I  combine  with  the  car-axle  and 
wheels,  and  the  piston  or  pistons  and  their  coup- 
lings, a  ratchet  and  pawl,  clutch  or  equivalent  de- 
vice, operating  to  permit  the  free  rotation  of  the 
wheels  during  the  ascent  without  communicating 


80      APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

motion  to  the  piston,  and  in  case  of  the  reverse 
movement  or  descent  of  the  car,  to  at  once  throw 
the  pistons  in  communication  with  the  wheels,  for 
the  purpose  of  retarding  or  of  completely  arresting 
their  movement,  as  may  be  desired." 

The  earliest  patent  was  dated  September  10, 
1861,  and  was  for  "  locomotive  engines  for  ascend- 
ing inclined  planes." 

"  The  present  invention  relates  to  that  class  of 
locomotives  which  is  used  in  ascending  very  steep 
grades,  and  has  for  its  objects,  first,  obtaining  suffi- 
cient power  to  ascend  a  steep  inclination  with  a 
light  locomotive,  instead  of  a  heavy  and  cumber- 
some one,  such  as  has  heretofore  been  necessarily 
used  ;  second,  preventing  the  possibility  of  the  en- 
gine being  thrown  off',  or  lifted  and  ungeared  from 
the  track,  by  the  interposition  of  any  obstruction 
thereon,  and  the  means  employed  for  checking  and 
stopping  the  progress  of  the  train." 

In  a  letter  of  May  4,  1871,  Mr.  Marsh  says  that 
he  has  applied  for  another  patent  for  an  engine. 
Its  peculiarity  consists  of  a  driving  gear  at  each 
end,  with  four  cylinders  and  a  horizontal  boiler. 

Letters-patent  No.  61,221,  dated  January  15, 
1867,  relate  to  "  improved  cog-rail  for  railroads." 

"  The  object  of  my  invention  is  to  construct  a 
rail  suitable  for  use  on  roads  of  steep  grades.  It 
need  not,  however,  be  limited  to  this  use,  as  it  may 


IMPROVED   COG-RAIL.  81 

also  be  put  to  many  uses  for  which  the  ordinary  rack 
is  employed  in  combination  with  gear.  To  accom- 
plish my  object,  I  take  two  pieces  or  bars  of  angle 
iron,  connected  by  pins  or  rollers,  which,  at  suita- 
ble intervals  from  one  another,  have  their  bearings 
in  the  upright  sides  of  the  angle  iron,  thus  forming 
a  rack  or  cog-rail  with  which  the  gear  of  the  car 
truck  can  engage.  The  two  bars  of  angle  iron, 
which  should  be  of  wrought  metal,  are  bolted,  or 
otherwise  secured  to  timber  of  proper  size  and  di- 
mensions, so  as  to  be  parallel  with  each  other,  being 
so  placed,  that  their  flat  sides,  by  which  they  are 
bolted  to  the  timber,  shall  be  exterior  to  the  space 
included  between  their  upright  sides.  The  rollers 
or  cogs,  which  have  their  bearings  in  the  upright 
sides,  are  placed  at  suitable  distances  from  one  an- 
other to  correspond  with  the  distances  between  the 
teeth  of  the  truck- wheel  and  are  preferably  so  con- 
structed and  arranged  as  to  turn  or  revolve  in 
their  bearings.  This,  however,  is  not  absolutely 
essential,  for  the  pins  or  cogs  may  be  rigidly  con- 
nected with  the  uprights.  But  I  prefer  the  arrange- 
ment shown  in  the  drawings,  as  friction  is  thereby 
lessened,  and  the  wear  of  the  metal  which  the  pas- 
sage of  the  truck-wheels  over  the  rail  would  oth- 

O 

erwise  occasion,  is  in  a  great  measure  prevented. 
An    important   feature   of  the  cog-rail   thus   con- 
structed, is,  that  its   open  structure  will,  in  most 
6 


82      APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

cases,  keep  the  pins  or  rollers  from  being  clogged  by 
ice  or  snow  or  dirt  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  unfitted 
for  use,  the  liability  to  which  constitutes  one  of  the 
most  serious  drawbacks  to  the  employment  of  the 
ordinary  rack  for  that  purpose.  The  open  space 
between,  beneath,  and  in  fact  on  all  sides  of  the 
cogs,  except  at  the  points  where  they  are  hung  in 
the  uprights,  is  entirely  open,  so  that  comparatively 
little  obstacle  is  offered  to  the  passage  of  the  wheels 
over  the  rails,  even  when  the  latter  are  overlaid  with 
snow." 

TRIAL   TRIP. 

The  first  public  trial  trip  of  the  engines  upon  the 
Mount  Washington  Railway,  took  place  August 
29,  1866.  A  large  party  of  railroad  presidents, 
superintendents,  etc.,  were  present,  and  it  was  the 
inspection  of  the  practical  operation  of  the  engines 
at  this  time  that  led  the  public  to  believe  that  the 
enterprise  was  feasible.  The  road  had  been  com- 
pleted about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  trains  were 
kept  running  up  and  down  for  two  hours,  during 
which  time  it  is  supposed  that  every  one  of  the 
assembly  rode  upon  the  train.  The  mechanics  and 
engineers  present  managed  the  engine  for  them- 
selves, repeatedly  stopping  and  starting  again  on  the 
way  up  and  down.  Mr.  Marsh  and  his  assistants 
were  unremitting  in  their  efforts  to  explain  every 
part  of  the  machinery  and  to  answer  all  questions. 


THE  RAILWAY.  83 

The  party  were  well  pleased  with  the  road  and  its 
appurtenances,  and  at  the  White  Mountain  House 
the  same  day,  passed  the  following  resolutions :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  we  have  witnessed  with  deep  in- 
terest the  trial  trips  made  this  day  on  the  railroad 
now  being  constructed  to  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  and  would  express  our  full  confidence 
in  the  scientific  principles  of  its  construction  and  its 
practical  and  safe  mode  of  operation. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  construction  of  this 
road  as  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in  the  ap- 
plication of  steam  power  in  overcoming  grades  over 
high  summits  and  mountain  ascents,  so  as  to  open 
new  means  of  business  enterprise  and  greatly  en- 
large the  facilities  of  enjoyment  of  the  best  and 
noblest  scenery  of  the  country. 

"  Resolved,  that  Sylvester  Marsh,  by  his  great 
skill  and  ingenuity  in  the  invention  of  his  newly 
constructed  mode  of  railway  for  ascending  high 
grades,  and  his  energy  and  efficiency  in  its  practical 
application,  is  entitled  to  the  high  appreciation  and 
regard  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  is  richly  deserving 
our  tribute  to  him  as  a  public  benefactor." 

OPENING    OR  THE    RAILWAY. 

The  road  was  formally  opened  to  the  public 
August  14,  1868,  at  which  time  it  was  completed 
as  far  as  Jacob's  Ladder.  A  large  party  of  rail- 


84   APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

road  officials  and  others  were  present,  rode  up  the 
mountain,  walked  to  the  summit,  and  returned  the 
same  afternoon.  The  occasion  was  one  of  great 
interest. 

These  gentlemen  came  by  special  train  to  Lit- 
tleton, thence  by  stages  to  the  White  Mountain 
House,  where  they  spent  the  night.  The  day  for 
the  ascent  was  clear  and  cold,  the  thermometer 
standing  at  38°  Fahrenheit  in  the  morning.  At 
eight  o'clock  they  started  for  the  depot.  The  im- 
pression had  gone  abroad  that  the  trip  up  and  down 
the  mountain  was  to  be  a  free  affair  for  all  who 
chose  to  participate  therein,  and  therefore  all  the 
guests  of  the  adjacent  hotels  and  the  residents  of 
the  vicinity  had  assembled  in  order  to  ride  up  the 
mountain.  As  they  arrived  first  the  cars  were 
crowded  before  the  invited  guests  made  their  ap- 
pearance. It  therefore  became  necessary  to  request 
those  who  had  come  uninvited  —  and  a  large  num- 
ber were  ladies  —  to  give  up  their  places  to  the 
guests  of  the  day,  many  of  whom  had  journeyed 
hundreds  of  miles  to  be  present.  It  was  generously 
proposed  to  send  the  cars  down  again  for  those  who 
were  thus  left  behind,  but  it  was  found  to  be  im- 
practicable, and  word  to  tl&t  effect  was  sent  back 
by  telegraph. 

The  two  engines  were  used,  and  both  trains 
started  at  twenty-two  minutes  past  ten.  The 


VISIT  OF  PRESIDENT  GRANT.  85 

newer  and  more  stylish  turnout  took  the  lead  and 
transported  the  majority  of  the  party,  amounting 
to  fifty  or  sixty.  The  other  train  carried  about 
forty  persons.  For  some  reason  the  progress  was 
slow,  rather  more  than  three  hour's  time  having 
been  consumed  on  the  way  to  Jacob's  Ladder. 
The  party  went  on  foot  the  rest  of  the  way  to  the 
Summit,  where  about  two  hundred  visitors  had 
assembled  from  the  Glen,  Crawford,  and  other 
houses.  At  the  Tip-top  House,  a  bountiful  din- 
ner was  provided,  which  was  highly  appreciated 
after  the  scramble  up  the  arctic  zone.  The  dis- 
tant view  was  impaired  by  a  hazy  atmosphere,  and 
the  air  was  cool  but  the  day  was  pleasant,  and 
everything  conspired  to  make  the  excursion  success- 
ful. The  stay  at  the  summit  was  brief,  and  after 
embarkation  on  the  trains  good  speed  was  made,  the 
downward  journey  being  accomplished  in  an  hour 
and  a  half. 

In  1869,  General  Grant  with  his  family  visited 
Mount  Washington.  They  ascended  upon  the 
railway,  and  were  much  pleased  with  their  trip. 
Though  so  many  of  the  White  Mountain  peaks 
have  received  their  names  from  the  Presidents  of 
the  United  States,  it  is  not  known  that  any  one  of 
them  has  ever  before  been  honored  by  the  presence 
of  the  Chief  Executive. 


86   APPROACHES  TO  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

About  five  thousand  persons  were  carried  over 
the  Mount  Washington  Railway,  in  1870,  or  a 
majority  of  those  who  ascended  during  the  whole 
season. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MOOSILAUKE. 


OT  being  able  to  secure  a  house  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Washington  in  1869, 
we  determined,  as  an  experiment,  to  oc- 
cupy the  summit  of  Moosilauke  for  two  months. 
This  mountain  is  in  the  town  of  Benton,  but  it  is 
approached  from  the  village  of  Warren,  from  which 
place  there  is  now  a  carriage  road  to  the  summit. 
It  was  late  autumn  before  any  preparations  were 
made.  Wood  had  to  be  hauled  up  a  mountain 
bridle-path  more  than  a  mile,  and  this  was  no  small 
task  at  this  season  of  the  year ;  a  room  had  to  be 
fitted  up  and  provisions  taken  to  the  summit.  On 
the  23d  of  November,  having  obtained  men  and 
horses,  we  attempted  to  make  the  ascent. 

As  we  came  where  the  trees  were  small,  we  per- 
ceived that  it  was  growing  cold.  When  a  mile 
from  the  summit,  we  were  met  by  such  a  blast  of 
wind,  with  driving  snow,  that  we  were  compelled 
to  halt.  The  men  who  had  gone  forward  soon  re- 
turned, driven  back  by  the  fierceness  of  the  blast. 


88  MOOSILAUKE. 

They  reported  that  the  snow  was  in  such  immense 
drifts  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  horses  to 
pass.  Our  only  resource  was  to  return  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain.  The  contrast  between  our  even- 
ing meal  and  the  dinner  before  starting,  was  strik- 
ing. Then  all  was  life  and  animation,  the  conversa- 
tion sparkling  with  wit  and  humor ;  but  a  chill  had 
been  cast  over  the  whole  group;  some  were  in 
agony  from  frosted  feet ;  some,  if  their  ears  were  not 
frozen,  were  suffering  pain  from  the  effects  of  the 
cold,  while  others  were  lame  from  their  severe 
efforts  in  climbing  the  mountain.  One  only  of  the 
group  was  jubilant  and  hopeful,  the  pioneer  of  this 
mountain,  James  Clement,  who  will  be  recognized 
by  all  that  have  visited  Moosilauke,  for  they  will 
remember  the  remarkable  stories  by  which  he  has 
beguiled  the  weary  hours  while  making  the  ascent 
of  the  mountain,  not  unfrequently  drawing  upon  his 
imagination  to  make  them  more  vivid  than  if  re- 
lated in  plain  language  without  any  embellishment. 
While  each  had  something  of  which  to  complain, 
he  would  say,  "  that  the  worst  was  over,"  and 
there  was  probably  not  one  besides  him,  who  had 
any  idea  of  trying  again  to  reach  the  summit  before 
the  sun  of  another  summer  had  melted  the  snow. 
But  morning  came,  the  snow  was  crisp,  the  air 
was  cool,  and  the  mountain  stood  out  in  clear,  sharp 
outline  against  the  deep  blue  sky.  Everything 


UP  AND  DOWN  THE  MOUNTAIN.  89 

now  seemed  propitious,  and  we  determined  to  make 
another  attempt  to  reach  the  summit,  and  in  this 
we  were  successful.  For  two  days  the  weather 
was  charming,  but  on  the-  third  the  mountain  was 
enveloped  in  clouds,  and  the  frozen  mist  adhered 
to  everything  with  which  it  came  in  contact ;  the 
horses  instead  of  being  bay  and  iron-gray  were  of 
snowy  whiteness,  and  the  men  with  long  hair  and 
flowing  beard  seemed  venerable  as  with  age.  Imag- 
ination could  hardly  conceive  of  a  group  more  gro- 
tesque. But  this  day  our  work  was  completed  and 
we  descended  the  mountain.  It  was  late  in  De- 
cember before  our  provisions  were  taken  up.  We 
thought  that  we  should  be  able  to  draw  them  up 
by  hand,  but  we  found  a  little  too  much  work  in  this, 
so  we  fastened  together  two  large  hand-sleds  and 
took  a  horse.  We  had  to  shovel  some  snow,  but 
we  reached  the  summit  with  our  load.  During  the 
night  a  terrific  storm  arose ;  so  fierce  was  it  that 
to  venture  out  was  extremely  hazardous.  In  the 
morning,  however,  there  was  no  alternative,  we 
must  go  down,  as  we  had  nothing  for  the  horse  to 
eat  and  the  storm  might  continue  for  a  week.  The 

o 

wind  blew  so  fiercely  that  we  could  hardly  get 
breath,  besides  the  cold  was  intense.  The  horse 
braced  himself  against  the  wind  so  that  he  walked 

O 

quite  steady,  but  he  would  not  move  a  step  except 
as  he  was  led.  The  men  could  not  keep  their  foot- 


90  MOOSILAUKE. 

ing  and  were  several  times  blown  nearly  over  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  ;  but  we  reached  the  woods  where 
it  was  comparatively  quiet,  and  except  ears  touched 
with  frost  we  were  unscathed.  On  the  last  day  of 
December  Mr.  A.  F.  dough  and  myself  ascendeo 
the  mountain  to  remain  for  two  months.  The  rock 
of  the  mountain  is  mica  schist.  Everywhere  there 
are  marks  of  the  great  denuding  agencies  that  have 
worn  away  the  rocks.  The  general  direction  of 
the  crest  of  the  summit  is  northeast  and  southwest, 
and  it  corresponds  with  the  strike  of  the  rocks  ;  the 
top  of  the  mountain  is  mostly  covered  with  drift,  in 
which  are  water-worn  fragments  of  schist  and  a  few 
erratic  boulders  of  other  rocks.  There  is  a  space  of 
twenty  or  thirty  acres  on  the  summit  comparatively 
level,  on  which  grow  sedges,  mosses,  lichens,  and 
the  mountain  cranberry,  while  along  the  border  the 
spruce  struggle  for  a  scanty  existence  as  they  attain 
the  height  of  only  a  few  inches. 

THE   VIEW    FROM    THE    SUMMIT. 

There  is  scarcely  a  mountain  in  New  England 
from  which  the  view  is  more  extensive.  We  can 
see  nearly  the  whole  State  of  New  Hampshire,  with 
its  numerous  mountain  peaks.  Eastward  is  Mount 
Washington  "  in  solemn  repose,"  and  on  either  side 
its  neighboring  peaks ;  all  are  of  immaculate  white- 
ness ;  and  Lafayette  with  its  deep  scarred  sides 


ABOVE  THE   CLOUDS.  91 

and  its  lines  of  white  extending  far  down  into  the 
evergreen  forests;  and  then  there  is  Carrigain  and 
Pequawket,  and  the  mountain  ridges  along  the  east 
branch  of  the  Pemigewasset.  Southward  is  Lake 
Winnipiseogee,  with  its  numerous  isles,  glittering 
in  the  sunlight  like  a  gem  of  the  purest  water. 
The  Uncanoonucs,  Kearsarge,  and  Monadnock  are 
distinct  in  outline.  "Westward  is  the  whole  State 
of  Vermont;  and  Ascutney,  the  most  pointed  of  its 
mountains,  is  conspicuous.  As  the  eye  follows  up 
the  Green  Mountain  range,  the  different  peaks  are 
easily  distinguished,  while  still  further  to  the  west 
the  sharp  peaks  of  the  Adirondacks,  now  snow-clad, 
seem  to  pierce  the  clear  blue  sky.  Moosilauke  is 
so  much  higher  than  the  immediate  neighboring 
peaks,  that  "  the  whole  country  is  spread  out  as  a 
grand  intrusive,  raised  map  before  the  beholder." 

ABOVE   THE    CLOUDS. 

On  the  first  day  of  January  the  sun  rose  clear. 
We  were  above  the  clouds,  and  a  grander  spectacle 
one  does  not  often  behold.  The  clouds  seemed  to 
roll  and  surge  like  the  billows  of  the  ocean.  They 
were  of  every  dark  and  of  every  brilliant  hue  ;  here 
they  were  resplendent  with  golden  light,  and  there 
they  were  of  silvery  brightness  ;  here  of  rosy  tints, 
there  of  sombre  gray  ;  here  of  snowy  whiteness, 
there  of  murky  darkness ;  here  gorgeous  with  the 


92  MOOSILAUKE. 

play  of  colors,  and  there  the  livid  light  flashes  deep 
down  into  the  gulfs  formed  by  the  eddying  mist, 

while 

"  Far  overhead 

The  sky,  without  a  vapor  or  a  stain, 

Intensely  blue,  even  deepened  into  purple 

When  nearer  the  horizon  it  received 

A  tincture  from  the  mist  that  there  dissolved 

Into  the  viewless  air.  .  .  .  The  sky  bent  round 

The  awful  dome  of  a  most  mighty  temple 

Built  by  Omnipotent  hand  for  nothing  less 

Than  infinite  worship.     So  beautiful, 

So  bright,  so  glorious  !  .  .  .  .  Such  a  majesty 

In  yon  pure  vault !     So  many  dazzling  tints 

In  yonder  waste  of  waves." 

But  above  all  these  clouds,  these  flashes  of  light, 
this  darkness,  rise  in  stately  grandeur  the  summits 
of  Mount  Washington,  "  sublime  in  its  canopy  of 
snow,"  and  Lafayette,  with  a  few  peaks  of  lesser  alti- 
tude glittering  in  the  bright  sunlight.  As  the  sun 
rises  higher  the  picture  fades  away,  and  the  whole 
country  is  flooded  with  light.  Did  this  grandeur, 
this  magnificence,  this  grand  display  of  lights,  of 
shadows,  and  shades,  these  clouds,  so  resplendent, 
so  beautiful,  portend  a  storm  ?  In  the  evening  the 
wind  changed  to  the  southeast  and  increased  in 
velocity. 


A   TERRIFIC  STORM.  93 


THE   GREAT    STORM    OF    THE    SECOND    OF   JANUARY. 

At  daylight  on  the  second  it  was  snowing.  This 
soon  changed  to  sleet  and  then  to  rain,  and  at  eight 
A.  M.  the  velocity  of  the  wind  was  seventy  miles 
per  hour.  At  twelve,  there  was  a  perfect  tempest. 
Although  the  wind  was  so  fearful,  yet  Mr.  Clough 
was  determined  to  know  the  exact  rate  at  which  it 
was  blowing.  By  clinging  to  the  rocks  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  a  place  where  he  could  expose 
the  anemometer  and  not  be  blown  away  himself. 
He  found  the  velocity  to  be  ninety-seven  and  a  half 
miles  per  hour;  the  greatest  velocity,  until  that 
time,  ever  recorded.  When  he  reached  the  house 
he  was  thoroughly  saturated,  the  wind  having 
driven  the  rain  through  every  garment,  although 
they  were  of  the  heaviest  material,  as  though  they 
were  made  of  the  lightest  fabric.  During  the  after- 
noon the  rain  and  the  gale  continued  with  unabated 
violence.  The  rain  was  driven  through  every  crack 
and  crevice  of  the  house,  and  the  floor  of  our  room 
was  flooded.  So  fierce  was  the  draught  of  the  stove 
that  the  wind  literally  took  away  every  spark  of  fire, 
leaving  only  the  half-charred  wood  in  the  stove,  and 
it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  succeeded 
in  rekindling  it.  During  the  evening  the  wind 
seemed  to  increase  in  fury,  and  although  the  win- 
dow was  somewhat  protected,  yet  nearly  every  glass 


94  MOOSILAUKE. 

that  was  exposed  was  broken  by  the  pressure  of  the 
gale.  As  the  lights  were  broken,  the  fire  was  again 
extinguished,  and  even  my  hurricane  lantern  was 
blown  out  as  quickly  as  if  the  flame  had  been 
unprotected.  Darkness  if  not  terror  reigned,  but 
calmness,  with  energy,  are  requisites  for  such  an 
occasion,  and  fortunately  they  were  not  wanting 
now.  Our  necessities  quickly  showed  us  what  to 
do.  By  nailing  boards  across  the  windows  and  by 
the  use  of  blankets  we  stopped  the  openings  the 
wind  had  made.  After  nine  p.  M.  there  were  occa- 
sional lulls  in  the  storm,  and  by  twelve  it  had  con- 
siderably abated,  at  least  enough  to  bring  on  that 
depression  that  naturally  succeeds  a  period  of  in- 
tense excitement ;  so  we  willingly  yielded  ourselves 
to  sleep,  to  dream  of  gentle  zephyrs  and  sunny 
skies. 

AN    OUT-LOOK. 

When  it  was  clear,  there  was  a  strong  tempta- 
tion, notwithstanding  the  cold,  to  be  out  of  doors, 
to  watch  the  clouds,  not  only  when  they  filled  the 
valleys,  but  flitted  across  the  mountain  and  sailed 
away.  At  first,  of  almost  fiery  redness,  then  changing 
to  gray  and  neutral  tints,  until  almost  black,  they 
seemed  to  gather  round  some  distant  peak.  Or  as 
a  dark  band  they  lay  between  the  Franconia  and 
White  Mountains,  leaving  only  the  snow-clad  sum- 
mits above  the  dark  border ;  or  at  sunset  when  they 


AN  OUT-LOOK.  95 

lay  in  narrow  bands,  or  rose-tinted  clusters  around 
the  summit  of  Mount  Washington,  while  elsewhere 
there  were  those  of  leaden  hue  such  as  are  seen  only 
in  winter. 

Often  when  the  sky  is  partially  overcast,  through 
the  intervening  spaces  of  the  clouds  we  see  that 
intense  blue  sky  which  is  peculiar  to  high  altitudes. 
As  the  azure  color  is  due  to  the  light  reflected  by 
the  air,  the  purer  the  air  the  more  decided  is  this 
azure  tint.  No  scene  more  grand  and  beautiful 
ever  greeted  the  eye  of  man  than  when  beyond 
the  dark  band  of  clouds  just  below  the  summits  of 
the  Franconia  and  White  Mountains,  those  of  rose 
and  orange  tints  lie  along  the  horizon  just  above 
the  snow-capped  summit  of  Mount  Washington 
and  against  this  azure  sky.  From  Moosilauke  you 
command  the  whole  panorama  of  the  White  Moun- 
tain range  and  you  may  see  something  of  the 
effect  witnessed  among  the  Alps.  "  As  the  day 
dies,  the  last  shadows  pass  with  strange  rapidity 
from  peak  to  peak.  The  passage  is  so  rapid,  so 
sudden,  as  the  shadows  vanish  from  one  height 
and  appear  on  the  next,  that  it  seems  like  the  step 
of  some  living  spirit  of  the  mountains.  Then,  as 
the  sun  sinks,  it  sheds  a  brilliant  glow  across  them, 
and  upon  that  follows  the  strangest  effect  of  all,  — 
a  sudden  pallor,  an  ashy  paleness  on  the  mountains, 
that  has  a  ghastly,  chilly  look.  But  this  is  not  their 


96  MOOSILAUKE. 

last  aspect ;  after  the  sun  has  vanished  out  of  sight, 
in  place  of  the  glory  of  his  departure  and  the  corpse- 
like  pallor  that  succeeds  it,  there  spreads  over  the 
mountain  a  faint  blush  that  dies  gradually  into  the 
night.  These  changes  —  the  glory,  the  death,  the 
soft  succeeding  life  —  really  seem  like  something 
that  has  a  spiritual  existence." 

ICE  COLUMNS. 

Half  a  mile  northeast  of  the  summit  is  a  small 
lake,  which  is  the  source  of  the  Asquamchemauke, 
or  Baker  River.  This  stream  flows  half  a  mile, 
when  it  reaches  an  immense  gulf,  where  it  falls 
in  precipitous  cascades  of  several  hundred  feet. 
Across  the  head  of  this  gulf,  where  it  terminates 
so  abruptly,  the  stream  falls  in  a  hundred  stream- 
lets. The  ice  columns  formed  by  these  in  winter 
are  a  grand  feature  in  the  scenery.  Around  an  im- 
mense amphitheatre,  there  can  be  seen  from  below, 
ice  in  columns,  in  sheets,  in  protruding  masses  ;  and 
where  it  has  poured  over  the  edge  of  a  pre- 
cipitous rock,  there  is  an  ice  cavern  of  wondrous 
beauty.  Here  we  are  surrounded  by  ice.  On  the 
left  are  columns  ten,  twenty,  and  thirty  feet  in 
height ;  before  us  is  a  narrow  gorge,  the  sides  of 
which  are  covered  with  massive  ice.  To  the  right, 
and  almost  veiled  from  sight  by  a  thin  film  of  ice, 
is  an  ice  cavern,  made  resplendent  by  the  bright 


A    WINTER  SCENE.  97 

sunlight,  and  it  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  col- 
umns on  the  left,  over  which  fall  the  dark  shadows 
of  the  mountain. 

Besides,  to-day  there  is  frost  on  every  bough  and 
every  spray  of  the  foliage ;  it  resembles  snow  in  its 
crystals,  not  a  perfect  snow-flake,  but  only  one  of  its 
points  magnified  a  hundred  times.  On  the  bridle- 
path, about  a  mile  from  the  summit,  during  a  rain 
in  February,  the  trees,  which  are  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen feet  in  height,  became  entirely  incased  in  ice ; 
and  pendent  from  the  branches  of  the  firs  were 
icicles  more  than  a  foot  in  length.  Then  came  the 
snow,  and  for  two  weeks  we  had  a  winter  scene, 
which  for  extraordinary  brilliancy  and  magnificence 
can  probably  never  be  surpassed.  In  the  sunlight 
the  trunk  of  every  tree  was  of  silvery  brightness, 
and  every  spray  of  the  evergreen  foliage  had  its 
brilliant  gems,  which  reflected  the  light  in  dazzling 
splendor. 

A    GRAND    DISPLAY    OF    CLOUDS. 

On  the  19th  of  February  there  were  two  cur- 
rents of  air,  the  upper  had  its  lowest  stratum  prob- 
ably two  thousand  feet  below  the  summit.  In  the 
morning  the  upper  current  was  northwest,  with  a 
velocity  of  fifty  miles  per  hour.  About  twelve  the 
wind  changed  to  the  north  and  increased  in  velocity, 
and  at  five  p.  M.  it  had  a  velocity  of  seventy  miles. 
7 


98  MOOSILAUKE. 

At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  there  was  scarcely  a 
perceptible  breeze,  yet  up  a  thousand  feet  there 
was  a  strong  current  from  the  southwest,  and*  the 
clouds  seemed  to  move  almost  as  rapidly  as  those 
from  the  north.  On  account  of  the  velocity  of  the 
wind,  and  the  upward  pressure  of  the  currents  be- 
low, the  effect  was  remarkable.  The  whole  country 
except  the  higher  summits,  was  covered  with  clouds, 
and  these  were  moving  at  the  rate,  probably,  of 
more  than  sixty  miles  per  hour,  and  everywhere 
they  were  broken  into  scathing  undulating  masses, 
for  as  they  came  near  the  mountains,  in  an  in- 
stant almost,  they  would  be  lifted  more  than  a 
thousand  feet  to  be  carried  over  the  summits.  As 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  embracing  thousands  of 
square  miles,  was  this  rolling,  tumultuous  mass  of 
clouds. 

A   PERILOUS    DESCENT. 

The  last  of  February  it  was  extremely  cold,  the 
wind  had  blown  fiercely  from  the  north  for  several 
days,  with  a  velocity  from  sixty  to  seventy  miles 
per  hour.  The  thermometer  ranged  from  zero 
to  seventeen  below.  Our  wood  was  nearly  ex- 
hausted, and  who  could  tell  how  long  the  wind 
would  blow,  or  the  cold  continue.  So  we  loaded  a 
sled  and  took  it  down  on  the  southeast  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  were  thus  in  a  great  measure  pro- 
tected from  the  wind.  When  we  came  on  the 


A  PERILOUS  DESCENT.  99 

ridge,  as  long  as  we  could  keep  under  the  firs  that 
grow  where  the  ridge  is  low,  and  the  footing  was 
secure,  we  were  able  to  stand  against  the  blast. 
But  should  we  be  able  to  follow  the  ridge  where 
there  was  no  protection  from  the  wind  ?  The  only 
way  to  find  out  was  to  make  the  trial.  When 
we  reached  the  highest  part  of  the  ridge  the  wind 
swept  across  with  irresistible  fury.  Clough  held  the 
sled  to  keep  it  from  blowing  away.  When  a  good 
foothold  could  be  secured,  we  were  able  to  make 
some  progress.  When  not  able  to  brace  against 
the  wind,  I  was  blown  from  the  ridge,  then  crawling 
back,  would  make  another  effort,  only  to  be  blown 
away  again,  until  finally,  the  sled,  notwithstanding 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  hold  it, 
was  blown  against  a  projecting  rock  with  such 
force  that  the  standards  were  broken,  and  thus  it 
was  entirely  disabled.  Here  we  were,  the  wind 
blowing  seventy  miles  per  hour,  and  the  ther- 
mometer at  zero  or  below.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
A  decision  must  be  made  at  once.  To  remain 
here  only  for  a  moment,  without  putting  forth 
severe  physical  efforts,  we  should  become  statues 
only  too  lifelike.  We  pulled  the  broken  sled  with 
its  load  over  the  side  of  the  ridge  where  the  wind 
was  not  quite  so  furious,  and  Clough  went  back  to 
get  a  sled,  which  had  been  left  two  days  before, 
where  we  first  came  on  the  ridge.  It  was  only 


100  MOOSILAUKE. 

after  a  severe  struggle  with  Boreas,  in  which  he 
came  very  near  being  vanquished,  that  he  was  able 
to  secure  it.  To  reload  here,  was  no  easy  task,  but 
it  was  accomplished,  and  we  soon  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  woods,  where  we  were  protected  from 
the  wind.  It  was  with  many  regrets  that  we  left 
the  mountain,  but  our  brief  stay  gave  us  valuable 
experience  for  future  mountain  observations. 


PAET  SECOND. 

THE  EXPEDITION  AT  WORK. 
CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    ASCENT    OF   MOUNT  WASHINGTON    IN    WINTER. 


the  depot  of  Mount  Washington  Rail- 
way, the  ascent  on  foot,  in  summer,  is  com- 
paratively easy,  if  a  person  is  accustomed  to 
walking.  Though  the  ties  are  three  feet  apart  and 
there  is  a  rise  of  one  foot  in  three,  some  of  the  way, 
yet  a  person  with  muscles  strong  from  exercise,  can 
walk  to  the  very  summit  without  sitting  down  to 
rest.  We  would  not,  however,  advise  any  one  to 
walk  merely  for  the  exercise,  as  they  would  prob- 
ably get  more  than  they  expected. 

But  suppose  it  is  a  fine  day  in  early  winter. 
The  snow  has  already  accumulated  to  a  consider- 
able depth,  even  on  the  ties,  but  then  it  is  no  great 
hindrance.  Should  we,  however,  attempt  to  as- 
cend a  second  time,  we  shall  find  that  the  snow 
that  was  compressed  beneath  the  feet  has  changed 


102    ASCENT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

to  ice,  and  the  oval  form  gives  a  still  less  secure 
footing.  If  the  ice  is  thawing,  and  is  almost  ready 
to  slip  off  as  we  tread  upon  it,  every  one  will  see 
that  upon  a  trestle  nearly  thirty  feet  in  height, 
walking  is  somewhat  dangerous,  and  to  walk  down 
is  a  feat  from  which  a  most  expert  acrobat  would 
shrink.  If  at  the  depot,  we  take  snow-shoes,  we 
can  walk  with  comparative  ease  up  to  the  limit  of 
the  trees,  and  then  the  snow  is  so  compact  that  they 
are  no  longer  needed,  and  as  there  are  few  irregular- 
ities in  the  surface,  the  walking  is  better  than  in 

*  o 

summer.  Above  the  limit  of  the  trees,  the  railway 
is  covered  with  ice  of  every  fantastic  shape,  and  the 
frame-work  of  the  Gulf  tank  is  now  so  ornamented 
that  one  can  hardly  believe  that  it  is  the  rude 
structure  we  see  in  summer.  The  Lizzie  Bourne 
Monument,  which  we  have  been  accustomed  to  see 
only  as  a  rough  pile  of  stones,  is  now  an  object  of 
architectural  beauty,  such  as  no  sculptor  can  carve 
from  marble.  The  engraving  represents  the  monu- 
ment after  the  frost  work  had  formed  on  the  tablet, 
so  that  it  projected  two  or  three  feet.  Immediately 
above  the  monument,  the  timbers  of  the  trestle  are 
completely  covered  with  deposits  of  frozen  mist, 
extending  three  and  four  feet  horizontally  from  the 
timber  on  which  the  track  is  laid ;  and  every  piece 
of  timber  that  forms  the  trestle  is  ornamented  with 
beautiful  forms  of  frost-work,  arranged  in  graceful 


UZZIE   BOUKNE   MONUMENT. 


THE  ASCENT  OF  NOVEMBER  30.          103 

curves  where  the  wind  sweeps  through  the  trestle. 
On  the  summit,  the  buildings,  the  piles  of  rocks  and 
stones,  so  rough  in  summer,  are  now  completely 
covered  with  frost,  while  the  snow  fills  the  spaces 
between  the  jagged  rocks.  On  the  sides  of  the 
buildings  toward  the  northwest  the  frost  has  ac- 
cumulated so  that  now  it  is  more  than  a  foot  in 
thickness.  While  the  frost-work  on  the  depot  has 
everywhere  the  same  general  appearance,  the 
points  show  exactly  the  direction  of  the  wind  as 
it  came  into  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  build- 
ing. The  frost  on  the  braces  and  timbers  that  ex- 
tend outward  seems  one  triangular  mass,  and  on 
the  chains  it  is  often  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter. 
The  ascent  is  not  always  made  when  it  is  mild 
and  calm.  A  person  is  often  deceived  ;  for  although 
pleasant  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  it  may  be  very 
cold,  with  a  strong  wind,  on  the  summit.  Such  was 
the  case  when  the  photographers  came. 

THE    ASCENT    OF   NOVEMBER   30. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1870,  we  started  from 
the  White  Mountain  House  for  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington.  Our  party  consisted  of  Charles  B. 
Cheney,  of  Orford ;  A.  F.  Clough,  of  Warren  ; 
C.  F.  Bracy,  of  Warren  ;  and  Howard  A.  Kim- 
ball,  of  Concord.  Our  team,  a  sturdy  span, 


104  ASCENT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

and  our  vehicle,  a  stout  pung,  we  were  speedily 
aboard  with  our  luggage  and  traps,  and  moving 
onward  with  buoyant  hearts,  with  the  untrodden 
snow  to  test  the  mettle  of  our  team.  November 
was  making  its  exit  in  what  might  be  termed  a 
lovely  winter  day  ;  and  the  prospect  of  so  choice 
a  time  to  make  our  ascent  —  toilsome,  at  best,  at 
this  season,  and  very  hazardous  except  at  special 
times  of  good  weather  —  inspired  us  with  enthu- 
siasm, more  and  more  increased  as  we  approached 
the  final  reach  that  stood  in  defiance  of  any  aid 
which  could  be  rendered  by  the  panting  steeds 
that  now  bore  us  forward.  Plodding  on  amid  in- 
creasing depths  of  snow,  the  keen  outlook  of  our 
driver  discovered  trouble  ahead  ;  when,  calling  out, 
"  O,  how  stupid  not  to  bring  an  axe  !  "  we  looked 
before  us  to  behold  our  way  blocked  with  trees 
which  the  wind  had  hurled  directly  across  the  road. 
Falling  to  work  as  best  we  could,  we  succeeded 
in  breaking  away  limbs  underneath  the  reclining 
trunks,  till  we  had  opened  a  passage,  through  which, 
after  detaching  horses,  we  dragged  the  pung,  and 
then  led  the  team.  Our  advance  found  the  snow 
deeper  and  deeper ;  yet  there  seemed  no  occasion 
to  indulge  misgivings,  for  the  weather  was  still  all 
we  could  desire,  and  there  appeared  to  be  sufficient 
time.  But  at  last  we  came  to  a  new  fence  of  wind- 


CUTTING  THROUGH.  105 

falls  that  positively  barred  our  progress.  It  was 
found  impossible  to  go  on  without  cutting  through, 
and  we  had  nothing  to  cut  with. 

We  were  now  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
Marshfield  Depot,  the  terminus  of  our  convoy.  Mr. 
Clough  volunteered  to  walk  the  rest  of  the  way, 
rally  a  "chopper,"  and  return  and  chop  us  out. 
This  was  all  duly  accomplished  ;  but  it  consumed 
some  two  hours  of  precious  time;  and,  with  the 
previous  delay,  made  our  arrival  at  the  depot  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  eleven  or  twelve 
in  the  forenoon,  as  it  should  have  been. 

At  Marshfield  we  are  three  miles  from  the  sum- 
mit, and,  at  present,  all  travel  over  this  distance 
must  depend  solely  upon  human  muscle  and  energy 
to  achieve  ;  though  Mr.  Marsh,  the  president  of  the 
railway  company,  says  he  will  yet  see  it  run  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year. 

"  Jim,"  the  wood-choppers'  cook,  prepared  us  a 
lunch ;  and,  after  duly  disposing  of  this,  we  held 
"a  council  of  war,"  and  decided  to  make  the  ascent 
at  once,  though  there  were  serious  misgivings  on 
the  part  of  some  of  us  in  view  of  the  near  approach 
of  night,  when,  at  this  season,  half-past  two  o'clock 
leaves  a  small  margin  of  the  day,  at  best,  for  such 
a  task  as  stood  before  us.  However,  the  weather 
was  fine,  and  we  were  tired  with  the  promise  of 


106   ASCENT  OF  MT.   WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

an  adventure,  amid  scenery  new  and  grand,  from 
which  we  had  been  unwillingly  detained  several 
days  beyond  our  previous  designs. 

THE    ASCENT. 

In  ascending  from  this  point,  we  followed  the 
railroad  track.  We  were  compelled  to  walk  upon 
the  ties,  for  the  snow  was  several  feet  deep.  With 
a  sharp  upward  grade,  in  some  places  rising  one 
foot  in  three ;  with  the  ties  three  feet  apart  and 
loaded  with  ice  and  snow,  and  built  on  trestle-work 
over  gorges  of  some  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in 
depth,  the  careless,  eager  steps  of  unbaffled  en- 
thusiasm are  soon  compelled  to  give  place  to  great 
caution  and  the  constant  stress  of  nerve  and  muscle. 
It  is  found  impossible  to  make  every  foothold  sure  ; 
hence  there  come  occasional  slips  and  bruises  ;  and, 
unless  one  is  robust  and  hardy,  the  ascent  thus  soon 
becomes  decidedly  wearisome  and  even  exhaustive. 

The  end  of  the  first  mile  —  carrying  us  up  to 
within  one  half  mile  of  the  limit  of  wood-growth  — 
found  us  in  tolerable  condition  ;  when  a  halt  for 
breath  and  observations  discovered  to  us  an  ap- 
proaching storm  lying  on  the  Green  Mountains  of 
Vermont.  It  would  undoubtedly  strike  us,  but  we 
still  hoped  we  might  press  on  and  reach  the  summit 
first.  The  thought  of  being  overtaken  by  a  furious 
storm  on  the  wintry,  shelterless  cliffs  of  Mount 


OUT  IN  THE  STORM.  107 

Washington,  with  the  night  about  to  enshroud  us, 
was  fearfully  impressive,  and  prompted  us  to  our 
best  endeavors.  With  all  the  effort  we  could  well 
muster,  we  had  only  advanced  a  half  mile  more, 
carrying  us  fairly  above  the  wooded  region  to  the 
foot  of  "  Jacob's  Ladder,"  when  the  storm  struck 
us.  There  were  suddenly  wrapped  around  us  dense 
clouds  of  frozen  vapor,  driven  so  furiously  into  our 
faces  by  the  raging  winds  as  to  threaten  suffocation. 
The  cheering  repose  of  the  elements  but  a  moment 
before  had  now  given  place  to  what  might  well  be 
felt  as  the  power  and  hoarse  rage  of  a  thousand 
furies ;  and  the  shroud  of  darkness  that  was  in  a 
moment  thrown  over  us  was  nearly  equal  to  that  of 
the  moonless  night.  Compelled  to  redoubled  efforts 
to  keep  our  feet  and  make  proper  advance,  we 
struggled  with  the  tempest,  though  with  such  odds 
against  us  that  we  were  repeatedly  slipping  and  get- 
ting painful  bruises.  Mr.  Kimball  finding  himself 
too  much  exhausted  to  continue  this  struggle  on  the 
track,  we  all  halted  in  brief  consultation.  It  was 
suggested  that  we  return  to  Waumbek  Station,  an 

DO  * 

old  building  a  half  mile  below  us,  and  there  try  to 
keep  ourselves  from  freezing  by  brisk  exercise.  Mr. 
Clough  emphatically  vetoed  this  as  a  most  danger- 
ous and  impracticable  proposition,  saying  that  our 
only  hope  consisted  in  pushing  upward  with  all  our 
might. 


108   ASCENT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

Here  we  became  separated,  three  of  our  party 
left  the  track,  and  Mr.  Kimball  willingly  left  behind 
his  luggage  in  order  to  continue  the  ascent.  By 
thus  leaving  the  track  we  escaped  liability  to  falls 
and  bruises,  but  found  ourselves  often  getting  buried 
to  our  waists  in  snow,  and  forced  to  exert  our  ut- 
most strength  to  drag  ourselves  out  and  advance. 
We  repeatedly  called  to  Mr.  Bracy,  who  had  kept 
on  the  track,  as  we  supposed,  but  could  get  no 
answer.  The  roar  of  the  tempest  overcame  our 
utmost  vocal  efforts ;  and  the  cloud  of  frozen  vapor, 
that  lashed  us  so  furiously  as  it  hugged  us  in  its 
chilling  embrace,  was  so  dense  that  no  object  could 
be  seen  at  a  distance  of  ten  paces. 

Against  such  remorseless  blasts  no  human  being 
could  keep  integrity  of  muscle  and  remain  erect. 
We  could  only  go  on  together  a  little  way  and  then 
throw  ourselves  down  for  a  few  moments,  to  re- 
cover breath  and  strength.  We  had  many  times 
repeated  this,  when  Mr.  Kimball  became  so  utterly 
exhausted  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  take  another 
step.  He  called  to  the  others  to  leave  him  and 
save  themselves  if  possible.  The  noble  and  em- 
phatic "  Never "  uttered  by  the  manly  Clough, 
whose  sturdy  muscle  was  found  ample  to  back  his 
will,  aroused  him  to  another  effort. 

The  two  stronger  gentlemen,  whose  habits  of  life 
and  superior  physical  powers  gave  hope  of  deliver- 


A  HARD  STRUGGLE.  109 

ance  for  themselves,  were  both  immovable  in  the 
determination  that  our  fate  should  be  one,  let  that 
be  what  it  must. 

The  situation  was  one  of  most  momentous  peril, 
especially  as  to  Mr.  Kimball,  whose  exhaustion  was 
now  so  extreme  that  he  was  wholly  indifferent  to 
the  fate  that  seemed  to  impend  ;  only  begging  that 
he  might  be  left  to  that  sleep  from  whose  embrace 
there  was  felt  no  power  of  resistance.  Still  there 
was  forced  a  listless  drag  onward,  mostly  in  the 
interests  of  his  companions  and  in  obedience  to 
their  potent  wills.  After  this  sort  we  struggled 
on,  a  few  rods  at  a  time,  falling  together,  between 
each  effort,  to  rest  and  gain  new  strength.  At  each 
halt  Messrs.  Clough  and  Cheney  used  their  best 
endeavors  by  pounding  and  rubbing  Mr.  Kimball's 
feet  and  limbs,  and  in  various  other  ways  endeav- 
ored to  promote  circulation  and  prevent  freezing. 

The  last  saving  device  was  supplied  by  a  cord 
which  we  chanced  to  have.  At  one  end  of  this 
was  made  a  noose,  which  was  placed  in  Mr.  Kim- 
ball's  hand,  while  the  other  end  was  passed  over  the 
shoulder  of  Mr.  Clough  who  tugged  along  in  ad- 
vance, while  Mr.  Cheney  helped  at  his  side.  Most 
of  the  last  mile  was  accomplished  in  this  manner. 

With  the  wind  at  seventy  miles  per  hour,  and  the 
thermometer  down  to  7°,  as  was  found  after  arriv- 
ing at  the  Observatory,  we  came  at  length  to 


110   ASCENT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

"  Lizzie  Bourne's  Monument,"  only  thirty  rods 
from  the  Observatory.  One  of  our  party  shouted 
an  exultant  hurrah  at  the  glad  sight  of  this  rude 
pile  which  was  erected  to  commemorate  the  sad 
fate  of  one  who  was  overtaken  hy  the  darkness  and 
bewildering  fogs  and  chills  of  a  rude  October  night. 
u  Then,"  in  the  words  of  the  eloquent  Starr  King, 
"  was  the  time  to  feel  the  meaning  of  that  pile  of 
stones,  which  tells  where  Miss  Bourne,  overtaken  by 
night  and  fog  and  exhausted  by  cold,  breathed  out 
her  life  into  the  bleak  cloud." 

It  took  more  than  a  half  hour's  time  to  make  this 
last  thirty  rods.  Even  the  stronger  ones  had  be- 
come wearied  by  their  unusual  exertions,  and  had 
this  not  been  the  case,  their  progress  would  have 
been  slow,  for  it  was  found  absolutely  impossible  to 
force  on  the  one  who  had  now  become  unable  to 
regard  his  own  peril,  more  than  a  few  feet  at  a 
time.  He  would  then  sink  down  into  a  deep  sleep, 
while  the  others  would  employ  the  time  in  chafing 
his  hands  and  feet,  and  after  a  few  moments  man- 
age to  arouse  him  and  make  another  struggle  on- 
ward.1 

1  So  utterly  exhausted  was  our  friend  that  his  reason  tottered,  and 
he  speculated  as  to  the  methods  by  which  his  dead  body  should  be 
carried  down  to  his  friends,  and  see*med  to  be  anxious  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  beforehand ;  and  the  prospect  of  another  mon- 
ument was  certainly  very  promising.  This  idea  also  furnished  him 
with  words,  as  he  insisted  that  his  untimely  end  would  attract  many 


THE  SUMMIT  REACHED.  Ill 

From  Lizzie  Bourne's  Monument  to  the  summit 
Mr.  Kimball  was  mostly  insensible  to  passing  events, 
and  only  awoke  to  clear  consciousness,  as  from  a 
dream,  to  find  himself  in  bed  in  a  comfortable  room 
in  the  Observatory  building,  safe  from  the  dreadful 
tempest,  and  owing  his  life  to  the  unyielding  devo- 
tion of  these  brave  men  who  scorned  to  save  them- 
selves at  the  expense  of  a  comrade  left  to  perish. 

We  were  very  glad  to  find  on  our  arrival  that 
Mr.  Bracy,  who  had  got  separated  from  us  during 
our  earlier  struggles,  had  got  in  about  seven  o'clock  ; 
our  own  arrival  being  at  half  past  seven  ;  he  having 
kept  on  the  track. 

Thus  at  least  three  hours  of  this  ascent  were 
made  amid  the  darkness  of  a  moonless  night,  in 
the  howling  tempest,  the  horrors  of  which  will  be 
more  readily  appreciated  when  it  is  remembered 
that  a  wind  of  forty-five  miles  per  hour  blew 
down  buildings  and  uprooted  trees  in  New  York 
city.  Twenty-five  miles  added,  make  a  most  fear- 
ful hurricane.  We  were  abundantly  supplied  with 
nourishment  on  our  ascent,  chiefly  in  the  form  of 
a  strong  decoction  of  tea,  of  which  we  occasionally 
partook.  This  is  found  to  be  by  far  the  most 

visitors  to  the  lonely  spot,  and  be  the  means  of  enriching  the  hotel 
and  the  railroad  the  following  summer.  Also  when  being  carried 
through  the  entrance  to  the  Observatory,  he  thought  himself  falling 
down  some  steep  place,  and  begged  the  others  to  save  him.  C.  H.  H. 


112  ASCENT  OF  MT.   WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

potent  and  effective  stimulant  that  can  be  used  in 
such  conditions  of  extreme  exposure. 

Mr.  Bracy,  too,  had  a  narrow  escape.  Losing  his 
foothold  on  the  track,  he  at  one  time  fell  through, 
into  a  gorge  beneath  the  trestle-work.  Exhausted, 
bruised,  and  discouraged,  he  crawled  beneath  the 
ruins  of  the  old  "  Gulf  House,"  which  were  found 
to  be  at  hand,  thinking  he  would  try  to  weather 
the  storm  there ;  but  finding  himself,  in  spite  of 
every  effort,  getting  numb  and  dozy,  he  rallied  to  a 
new  struggle,  and  thus  saved  himself. 

Mr.  Huntington,  aroused  by  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Bracy,  sallied  out  with  a  lantern  in  search  of  us,  but 
found  his  best  exertions  of  little  avail,  the  storm  be- 
ing so  fierce  and  thick  he  could  neither  make  him- 
self seen  nor  heard  beyond  a  few  paces  ;  and  they 
were  regarding  us  as  probably  lost,  though  preparing 
for  another  effort  in  our  behalf,  when  we  arrived. 

A  sleepless  night  gave  place,  at  length,  to  a  day 
thick  and  stormy.  And  for  several  days  the  clouds 
gathered  densely  around  us  and  the  storm  con- 
tinued its  rage  ;  during  which  we  were  recovering 
from  "  the  wear  and  tear  "  of  our  adventures  and 
recruiting  for  the  work  in  store  for  us. 

THE   ASCENT    OF    FEBRUARY   EIGHTH. 

An  ascent  without  great  difficulty  was  made  on 
the  8th  of  February,  by  Mr.  Luther  L.  Holden,  of 


THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  MEN.         113 

the  "  Boston  Daily  Journal,"  and  Mr.  P.  B.  Cogs- 
well, of  the  "  Concord  Daily  Monitor."  As  they 
were  the  first  newspaper  men  ever  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  Mount  Washington,  in  mid  winter,  an  ac- 
count of  their  tour,  will  not  fail  to  be  interesting :  — 

"  Mr.  Huntington  informed  us  that  it  was  magnificent 
weather  that  morning  at  the  summit,  and  that  we  could 
not  have  selected,  apparently,  a  better  day  for  the  trip. 
He  knew  better  than  to  promise  us  good  weather  all  the 
Way  through,  however,  for  the  changes  about  the  moun- 
tains, and  especially  at  the  summit,  are  sometimes  very 
sudden  and  unexpected.  In  a  few  minutes  our  prepara- 
tions for  the  upward  journey  were  completed,  for  they 
comprised  nothing  more  than  the  buckling  on  of  knap- 
sacks, the  putting  on  of  buffalo  overshoes  and  the  grasp- 
ing of  Alpen-stocks.  The  latter  is  an  almost  indispen- 
sable assistant  in  mountain  climbing  in  the  winter.  We 
had  brought  snow-shoes  for  use  through  the  woods  if 
necessary,  but  we  found  they  could  as  well  be  left  be- 
hind.' As  for  overcoats,  we  strapped  them  upon  our 
knapsacks  or  disposed  of  them  as  best  we  could,  for  the 
exertion  of  the  walk  was  likely  to  keep  us  warm  enough 
until  we  got  near  the  top,  and  so  it  certainly  proved. 
Our  party,  four  in  number,  left  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain at  a  quarter  past  ten  o'clock.  No  travellers  ever 
had  safer,  surer,  more  experienced,  or  more  intelligent 
guides  than  we  two  newspaper  men  could  boast  of. 
We  had  received  ample  directions  in  regard  to  the  as- 
cent in  case  we  undertook  it  alone,  but  with  two  such 
3 


114   ASCENT  OF  MT.  WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

able  guides  as  Mr.  Huntington  and  Mr.  Clough,  we 
certainly  could  not  go  amiss.  Here  let  me  add  that  no 
person  ought  attempt  the  ascent  of  Mount  Washington 
in  winter  unless  he  is  blessed  with  more  than  common 
physical  strength  and  hardihood,  for  although  under 
favorable  circumstances  and  with  good  weather  (which 
means  the  absence  of  adverse  winds  more  than  anything 
else),  the  trip  may  be  accomplished  safely  enough,  and, 
in  truth,  with  greater  ease  than  in  summer,  yet  the  sud- 
den and  severe  changes  liable  to  occur  are  in  themselves 
dangerous,  while  physical  exhaustion  in  any  case  might 
lead  to  serious  results.  There  have  been  two  instances, 
at  least,  the  present  season,  where  persons  have  become 
so  exhausted  in  climbing  the  mountain  that  they  could 
not  have  proceeded  without  aid  from  others,  while  death 
would  have  ensued  had  they  been  abandoned.  On  one 
occasion  a  young  man  became  so  fatigued  and  so  be- 
numbed with  cold,  that  his  companions  were  compelled 
to  carry  him  a  considerable  part  of  the  way.  The  sad 
deaths  of  poor  Lizzie  Bourne  and  Benjamin  Chandler, 
one  of  whom  perished  on  the  mountain  side  in  Septem- 
ber, 1855,  and  the  other  in  August,  1856,  and  the  terri- 
ble adventure  of  Dr.  Benjamin  L.  Ball,  who  narrowly 
escaped  death  from  exposure  in  October,  1855,  are  sol- 
emn reminders  of  the  dangers  of  mountain  climbing. 

"  As  we  were  sure  to  occupy  several  hours  in  the  as- 
cent, we  took  a  light  lunch  to  refresh  us  on  the  way,  and 
proper  restoratives,  the  chief  of  which  was  a  plentiful 
supply  of  the  beverage  "  that  cheers  but  not  inebriates  " 
—  cold  tea.  A  flask  of  strong  tea  is  more  efficacious 


UPWARD.  115 

than  a  flask  of  brandy  in  reviving  and  refreshing  ex- 
hausted nature  upon  a  mountain  tramp,  although  it  is 
•well  enough  to  take  along  the  latter  for  emergencies. 
For  a  little  way  up  the  mountain  we  took  a  winding 
path  through  which  timber  is  hauled,  but  soon  struck 
the  railway,  alongside  or  upon  which  we  kept  the  re- 
mainder of  the  distance.  The  snow  in  the  woods  was 
from  two  to  three  feet  in  depth,  and  the  crust  was  suffi- 
ciently hard  to  bear  our  weight,  except  in  places  where 
we  might  sink  through  at  the  side  of  a  log  or  in  the 
bushes.  In  most  places  we  could  easily  walk  over  the 
low  bushes,  and  also  upon  getting  above  the  line  of  tall 
trees  it  was  found  an  easy  matter  to  travel  over  the  belt 
of  stunted,  scrubby  trees,  which  surrounds  the  mountain 
and  marks  the  limit  of  arborescent  growth.  These  trees 
are  so  thick  that  in  summer  they  form  impenetrable  bar- 
riers, compelling  the  pedestrian  to  keep  to  the  railway 
track,  or  to  the  old  Fabyan  bridle-path.  Farther  on, 
the  rocks  are  for  the  most  part  covered  with  snow,  the 
crevices  being  filled  so  completely  that  there  are  few 
irregularities  in  the  surface.  In  short,  the  rough  places 
are  made  smooth,  —  in  not  a  few  instances  a  trifle  too 
smooth,  —  for  the  way  is,  at  some  points,  very  steep.  In 
a  few  places  the  snow  lies  drifted  over  the  railway,  but 
along  the  line  of  high  trestle  work  at  Jacob's  Ladder, 
and  for  the  most  part  above,  the  snow  had  blown  from 
the  top,  so  that  easy  locomotion  was  found  for  some  of 
us  over  the  sleepers.  Before  we  had  reached  the 
"Waumbek  Junction,  a  slight  snow  squall  struck  us, 
and  we  could  see  that  there  was  a  storm  in  the  neigh- 


116   ASCENT  OF  MT.   WASHINGTON  IN  WINTER. 

borhood  of  the  Notch.  This,  however,  was  no  impedi- 
ment to  our  onward  "progress.  As  we  had  occasion  to 
rest  quite  frequently,  we  had  ample  opportunity  to  stop 
and  admire  the  glorious  panorama  which  was  gradually 
unfolded  behind  us.  After  getting  above  Jacob's  Ladder 
we  found  that  the  wind,  which  was  blowing  from  the 
south  or  southwest,  was  quite  strong,  and  by  the  time 
we  reached  the  Great  Gulf  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
furious  snow-storm.  As  we  entered  the  snow  cloud 
the  country  below  was  shut  out  from  our  view,  and  we 
could  not  see  a  great  distance  in  any  direction,  although 
the  cloud  was  not  very  dense.  The  frost  work  on  the 
Lizzie  Bourne  monument,  which  had  been  very  beauti- 
ful at  times,  had  for  the  most  part  disappeared  in  the  re- 
cent thaws  and  furious  wind-storms." 

"  We  arrived  at  the  summit  at  2.45  p.  M.,  having  occu- 
pied four  and  a  half  hours  in  the  ascent.  By  '  taking  it 
easy '  en  route,  we  reached  the  end  of  our  journey  very 
slightly  fatigued.  Sergeant  Smith  and  Mr.  Nelson, 
Mr.  Huntington's  companions  in  exile,  gave  us  a  warm 
welcome,  and  we  were  soon  snugly  ensconced  under  the 
depot  roof.  Upon  our  arrival  it  was  ascertained  that 
the  wind  was  blowing  at  the  rate  of  forty-five  miles  an 
hour,  while  the  thermometer  indicated  13°  above  zero." 

Since  we  began  our  preparations  for  the  winter, 
over  fifty  persons,  including  members  of  the  party, 
have  been  on  the  mountain,  and  the  number  of  as- 
cents made  amount  to  more  than  a  hundred,  seven- 
teen having  been  made  by  myself,  and  not  a  single 


NO  SERIOUS  ACCIDENTS. 


117 


accident  that  has  proved  serious  has  happened  to 
any  one,  although  before  we  began  to  go  up  and 
down,  there  was  probably  scarcely  one  person  in  a 
hundred  but  that  would  have  considered  a  trip  to 
the  summit  of  Mount  Washington  in  mid-winter, 
even  in  the  most  favorable  weather,  a  perilous 
undertaking. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A    LOOK    NORTHWARD,    AND   EASTWARD. 

F  all  the  valleys  that  radiate  from  this  group 
of  mountains,  that  of  Israel's  River  is  the 
broadest.  By  following  a  line  a  little  west 
of  north  we  look  directly  down  upon  this  valley 
with  its  broad,  open  fields,  now  covered  with  a 
white  mantle  of  snow.  Where  a  point  of  woods 
penetrates  this  open  area,  it  looks  like  a  headland 
jutting  into  a  frozen  lake ;  but  the  deception  is  not 
perfect,  for  we  can  see  a  road  running  through  the 
entire  length  of  this  open  space,  and  it  crosses 
some  of  these  points ;  besides,  houses  are  distinctly 
visible  along  the  entire  length  of  the  valley.  A 
little  to  the  left  of  this  valley,  and  westward,  are 
the  hills  of  Whitefield,  and  beyond  is  Dalton  Moun- 
tain, from  which  there  is  such  a  fine  view  of  the 
whole  White  Mountain  range.  In  Lancaster  we 
see  Mount  Prospect  and  Mount  Pleasant ;  along  the 
base  of  these  is  a  line  of  snow,  which  is  now  brill- 
iant from  reflected  light.  Westward  still,  and 
stretching  northward  along  the  Connecticut,  are  the 


TOWARDS  QUEBEC.  119 

Lunenburg  Hills,  so  famous  as  a  point  from  which  to 
view  the  mountains  ;  and  beyond,  so  far  away  are 
the  hills,  when  there  is  the  least  haze  in  the  atmos- 
phere we  can  hardly  distinguish  their  outline,  and 
the  snow  which  covers  them  "  wells  into  the  atmos- 
phere, as  it  were,  and  dies  away  in  the  heavens  like 
the  indistinct  outline  of  a  bright  but  partially  re- 
membered dream." 

TOWARDS    PERCY   PEAKS    AND    NORTHWARD    TO  QUE- 
BEC   PROVINCE. 

North  of  Jefferson  is  the  Pilot  Range,  with  its 
wooded  summits.  Looking  down  upon  it,  every 
ridge  is  sharply  defined  ;  and  there  are  Percy  Peaks, 
now  so  purely  white,  and  almost  as  distinct  as  they 
appear  from  the  road  along  the  upper  Ammonoo- 
suc  ;  and  beyond  are  the  mountains  in  Stratford ; 
that  sharp  point  rising  above  the  other  peaks  is 
Sugarloaf  Mountain.  But  we  can  look  far,  far  be- 
yond, for  we  can  see  Owl's  Head  in  Canada  ;  and 
although  so  far  away  its  outline  is  sharply  defined 
as  it  stands  solitary  and  alone. 

A  LOOK  INTO  THE  GREAT  GULF. 

Looking  almost  directly  north,  we  look  down 
into  the  Great  Gulf  between  Mount  Washington 
and  Mount  Adams.  We  cannot  see  far  down,  as 
we  stand  here;  suppose  we  walk  down  as  far  as 


120  A  LOOK  NORTHWARD  AND  EASTWARD. 

the  Gulf  House,  and  then  just  a  step  will  bring 
us  to  the  very  border  of  this  immense  gulf.  Just 
above  the  point  where  we  stand,  the  whole  side 
of  the  mountain  is  one  sheet  of  ice,  and  there  is 
some  where  we  stand,  so  we  have  to  be  very 
cautious  in  our  movements,  for  we  are  upon  the 
very  brink  of  a  precipice  hundreds  of  feet  in 
height.  The  snow  which  has  blown  over  into  the 
gulf  covers  now  in  part  the  ragged,  jutting  rocks 
that  form  the  abrupt  precipice  at  the  head  of  this 
great  chasm,  yet  still  enough  protrude  to  give  to  it 
a  picturesque  grandeur,  especially  when  the  rays  of 
the  sun  fall  aslant  its  rugged  slope.  The  peaks  of 
Jefferson  and  Adams  seem  mountains  of  them- 
selves, even  above  the  point  where  we  stand,  for 
they  are  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  higher 
than  the  gap  south  of  Mount  Clay.  Adding  to 
this  the  depths  below,  and  remembering  that  Mount 
Washington  is  nearly  five  hundred  feet  higher  than 
Mount  Adams,  and  you  have  some  conception  of  the 
awful  grandeur  of  the  scene,  and  you  will  no  longer 
wonder  why  we  run  some  risk  by  standing  here. 
The  depths  below  with  their  dark  shadows,  and  the 
heights  above  gleaming  in  the  bright  sunlight,  are 
enchantment  enough  to  draw  one  to  the  very  verge 
of  these  precipitous  heights.  If  in  summer  it  is 
one  of  the  grandest  spectacles  Mount  Washington 
affords,  words  certainly  fail  to  give  an  adequate 


MOUNTAINS  AND  LAKES.  121 

description  of  it  in  winter,  whether  we  see  it  when 
the  morning  sun  shines  into  it  from  the  east,  —  at 
noon,  when  the  sun  scarcely  reaches  its  lowest 
depths,  —  or  late  in  the  afternoon  when  far  down  it 
seems  almost  night,  although  the  mountain-peaks 
are  all  aglow  with  light,  —  or  watch  the  clouds  as 
they  pour  over  into  it  from  the  west. 

UP   THE   ANDROSCOGGIN    AND    MAGALLOWAY. 

Returning  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington, 
we  follow  up  the  valley  of  the  Androscoggin,  and 
look  down  upon  the  breadth  of  sombre  forests  stretch- 
ing northward  towards  Lake  Umbagog,  which  is 
now  so  distinct,  though  thirty  or  forty  miles  away. 
West  of  Umbagog  is  Mount  Dustan,  and  north  is  the 
rounded  summit  of  Escahos,  with  its  breadth  of 
snow.  Beyond  is  the  wilderness  along  the  Magal- 
loway ;  and  that  mountain  so  precipitous  on-  its 
eastern  slope  is  Mount  Carmel,  on  the  line  between 
New  Hampshire  and  Maine ;  and  northward  still  is 
the  blue  outline  of  the  mountains  in  Quebec  Prov- 
ince. To  the  east  of  the  line  just  indicated  we 
look  down  the  Peabody  River  to  the  valley  of  the 
Androscoggin,  and  when  we  feel  as  though  we  were 
out  of  the  world  we  take  our  glass  and  watch  the 
trains  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway.  Beyond 
Gorham  and  Shelburne  we  see  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains of  Maine,  and  conspicuous  among  them  is 
Katahdin,  which  stands  *'  regal  and  alone." 


122    A  LOOK  NORTHWARD  AND  EASTWARD. 
EASTWARD. 

The  guide  books  tell  you  that  from  the  summit 
of  Mount  Washington,  not  only  the  lakes  in  Maine, 
but  that  also  the  ocean  can  be  seen.  As  most  per- 
sons who  visit  the  mountain  are  here  only  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  at  mid-day  in  summer,  and  as 
they  look  through  the  hazy  atmosphere  they  con- 
clude that  what  they  say  is  a  myth,  and  that  it  is 
told  to  allure  people  here ;  but  suppose  you  go  out 
with  me,  and  we  will  take  a  look  eastward  to-day ; 
a  chill  may  run  through  you  at  the  thought  of 
standing  out  in  an  atmosphere  where  the  thermom- 
eter is  at  zero  ;  but  we  can  find  a  place  by  the  side 
of  the  building  where  we  are  protected  from  the 
wind,  and  as  you  look  you  will  forget  that  it  is  cold. 
In  some  respects  the  view  is  the  most  remarkable 
outlook  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington  ; 
in  every  other  direction  in  the  distance  lofty  moun- 
tains greet  the  eye  ;  in  this,  except  the  Carter  Range 
looking  a  little  south  of  east,  the  broad  expanse  that 
stretches  out  before  you  is  comparatively  level ;  the 
first  time  we  looked  in  this  direction  through  the 
rifts  in  the  clouds,  as  a  storm  was  clearing  away  on 
one  of  those  days  in  late  autumn,  when  the  air  has 
a  remarkable  transparency,  we  could  hardly  believe 
that  what  we  saw  was  something  real  ;  it  seemed 
rather  like  a  picture  conceived  by  a  vivid  imagina- 


OCEANWARD.  123 

tion,  excited  perchance  by  this  pure  and  rarefied 
atmosphere  ;  but  the  scene  must  be  real,  for  there 
is  the  Carter  Range,  now  apparently  so  near  that 
we  can  forgive  Leavitt  for  representing  old  Abel 
Crawford  in  the  act  of  shooting  a  bear,  which  is  at 
least  a  mile  away.  To-day  we  can  see  not  only 
the  trees  that  grow  upon  its  western  slope,  but  their 
very  branches.  Beyond  the  Carter  Range  are  the 
numerous  lakes  in  Maine,  and  we  can  see  distinctly 
the  valleys,  hills,  and  mountain  ridges,  as  they 
stretch  onward  seventy,  eighty,  and  ninety  miles. 
That  bright  line  extending  so  far  along  the  coast  is 
the  ocean ;  but  we  can  rarely  see  it  with  the  unaided 
eye,  except  when  the  waters  reflect  the  sunlight; 
and  then,  with  Tolles'  telescope,  having  an  object- 
glass  of  one  inch  and  a  focal  length  of  four  inches,  we 
can  see  not  only  vessels  as  they  sail  along  the  coast, 
but  can  distinguish  their  rig.  We  have  however 
seen  the  ocean  once  or  twice  on  a  moonlight  night. 
These  vast  stretches  of  vision,  transferred  to  the 
mind,  are  a  "mute  material  warning  against  all 
moral  narrowness  and  bigotry.  Liberty  and  law, 
magnanimity  and  humility,  inflexible  sincerity  and 
inexhaustible  bounty,  are  their  lessons." 

OFF    AN    HOUR    TO    TUCKERMAN's    RAVINE. 

From  the   point  where  we  stand  we  can   look 
down  into  the  Pinkham  Notch.  The  point  where  we 


124  A  LOOK  NORTHWARD  AND  EASTWARD. 

see  the  road  is  nearly  five  thousand  feet  below  us, 
and  we  see  also  the  immense  gorge  of  Tuckerman's 
Ravine  ;  but  we  cannot  see  far  .into  its  depths,  so  we 
will  walk  down  to  its  very  border,  for  we  are  sure 
of  being  repaid  for  all  our  toil.  We  will  go  to  the 
point  of  rocks  on  the  north  side,  a  mile  below  the 
head  of  the  ravine ;  we  have  stood  here  before  ; 
then  there  was  only  one  bright  spot  of  snow,  and 
above  it  the  thousand  streams  glittered  in  the 
bright  sunlight ;  but  now  winter  reigns  supreme. 
The  whiteness  along  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  is 
relieved  by  the  tree-tops,  protruding  above  the 
snow,  besides  the  jutting  rocks  and  crags  are  brown 
and  bare,  and  the  shadows  fall  over  the  cliffs  oppo- 
site. But  there  is  a  gleam  of  light  from  the  Thou- 
sand Streams  ;  for  where  they  have  poured  over  the 
head  of  the  ravine  they  are  fixed  in  ice  columns  of 
gigantic  proportions,  and  they  are  of  wondrous 
beauty ;  they  extend  almost  entirely  across  the 
ravine,  and  we  can  hardly  believe  that  they  have 
been  formed  from  a  few  trickling  streams,  for  one 
might  suppose  that  a  mighty  cataract  had  there 
been  suddenly  congealed.  Later  in  the  season  we 
shall  find  that  the  snow  extends  almost  up  to  the 
point  where  the  streams  first  leap  over  the  precipi- 
tous rocks.  We  have  hardly  time  to-day  to  look 
down  on  Hermit  Lake,  only  a  white  spot  now 
among  the  trees,  or  to  follow  the  valley  below  ;  and 


A   GRAND  PANORAMA.  125 

much  less  to  walk  down  so  that  we  can  see  the 
path  the  avalanche  has  made  ;  for  there  was  at  some 
time  not  very  remote  an  avalanche  just  north  of  the 
ravine,  which  bent  or  broke  off  the  trees  along  a 
path  many  rods  in  width.  We  should  like  to  walk 
north  along  this  plateau,  and  to  look  into  the  deep 
ravines  along  its  border,  but  we  must  return  to  the 

O  7 

summit.  Here  half  way  up  we  will  sit  down  and 
rest.  As  we  view  the  grandeur  of  the  scene,  we 
almost  forget  our  weariness.  Just  there,  fashioned 
in  beautiful  symmetry,  is  Pequawket,  now  a  snowy 
cone,  tinged  with  opalescent  light.  Beyond,  in 
Maine,  is  Mount  Pleasant,  with  its  triangular  area 
of  mountains  ;  and  there  is  Sebago  Lake,  and  be- 
yond the  harbor  of  Portland,  and  the  point  of  land 
running  out  into  the  sea  on  which  stands  Fort 
Preble.  This  grand  panorama  need  only  once  be 
seen  to  remain  ever  after  "  a  new  and  glorious  fur- 
niture of  the  mind." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A   LOOK    SOUTHWAED    AND   WESTWARD. 

PERSON  who  has  not  been  accustomed  to 
mountain  heights  might  suppose  that  when 
it  is  clear  we  can  see  as  well  in  one  direc- 
tion as  another.  But  to-day  it  may  be  remarkably 
clear  in  the  north,  and  yet  quite  hazy  in  the  south  ; 
or  clear  in  the  west,  and  yet  in  the  east  every- 
thing may  be  indistinct.  So  it  may  be  many 
days  before  the  best  views,  embracing  the  whole 
horizon,  can  be  obtained.  It  is  very  rare  that  the 
atmosphere  is  as  clear  southward  as  in  other  direc- 
tions, especially  in  the  distance ;  but  sometimes 
within  a  range  of  sixty  miles  every  lake  and  moun- 
tain is  remarkably  distinct,  and  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  the  scene  compensates  for  distance. 
Look  down  the  valley  of  Ellis  River,  its  wooded 
sides  slope  almost  down  to  the  stream.  Below  is 
the  valley  of  the  Saco,  with  its  broad  intervales,  and 
there  is  Conway,  guarded  by  noble  mountains.  To 
the  west  is  Mote  Mountain,  with  its  sweeping  out- 
line, and  Chocorua  with  its  sharp,  snowy  peaks  sur- 


WINNIPISEOGEE.  127 

rounded  by  forests  of  fir.  When  at  evening  it 
glows  with  light  rose  tints,  crimson  and  gold,  it  has 
a  beauty  peculiar  to  itself,  and  with  eager  eyes  we 
watch  the  lingering  light  until  it  fades  into  the 
night. 

TOWARDS    LAKE   WINNIPISEOGEE. 

But  for  another  day  there  is  still  reserved  a  vis- 
ion of  beauty  that  cannot  fail  to  fascinate,  even 
those  who  are  insensible  to  the  ordinary  charms  of 
nature.  It  is  the  view  embracing  Lake  Winnipis- 
eogee  and  its  immediate  surroundings.  Now  that 
the  lake  is  covered  with  ice,  how  it  gleams  in  the 
bright  sunlight ;  how  distinct  its  islands  and  jutting 
headlands  ;  and  then  the  light  on  the  hills,  so  rich 
in  purple  tints.  The  whole  scene  is  of  such  minute- 
ness, yet  so  vast,  that  we  stand  in  wonder,  attracted 
as  though  by  some  great  enchantment. 

"  Ah !  that  such  beauty,  varying  in  the  light 
Of  living  nature,  cannot  be  portrayed 
By  words,  nor  by  the  pencil's  silent  skill ; 
But  it  is  the  property  of  Him  alone 
Who  hath  beheld  it" 

Southward  still  is  Mount  Belknap  with  its  double 
peak  ;  and  Copple  Crown  is  distinct,  but  beyond  the 
haze  gives  only  dim  outlines.  So  long  has  our  at- 
tention been  directed  southward,  we  had  almost  for- 
gotten that  we  are  standing  on  the  summit  of  Mount 


128    A  LOOK  SOUTHWARD  AND   WESTWARD. 

Washington,  and  that  we  are  isolated  from  the 
world  below  on  which  we  have  been  looking  so 
intently. 

WESTWARD     DOWN    THE    VALLEY    OF    THE 
AMMONOOSUC. 

One  who  has  viewed  the  grand  panorama  that  is 
spread  out  before  the  beholder  who  stands  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Washington,  only  through  the 
haze  of  a  summer's  day,  can  hardly  imagine  the 
grandeur  of  the  scene  as  it  appears  on  a  clear  day 
in  mid  winter.  Would  you  not  like  to  see  it  ? 
Then  go  with  me,  for  to-day  it  is  so  mild  and  pleas- 
ant that  we  cannot  stay  within  doors.  The  sun 
shines  brightly;  above,  the  sky  is  intensely  blue, 
and  in  the  zenith  it  deepens  even  into  purple. 
Such  a  sky  is  seen  only  at  high  altitude,  and  there 
only  when  the  atmosphere  is  free  from  all  impuri- 
ties. We  will  stand  upon  the  highest  point  of  the 
mountain,  —  no,  this  will  not  do,  'we  cannot  see 
westward.  On  the  Tip -top  House  the  view  is 
better,  but  the  roof  is  steep.  Can  we  walk  up? 
Certainly,  for  the  frost  adheres  to  the  roof,  so  we 
have  a  secure  footing.  Now  we  can  go  no  higher ; 
but  this  is  all  we  could  wish.  To-day,  so  clear  and 
transparent  is  the  atmosphere,  that  space  seems  half 
annihilated.  Instead  of  one  vast  mantle  of  white, 
as  we  might  have  expected,  the  variety  of  colors  is 


THE  FORESTS.  129 

greater  even  than  in  summer ;  and  the  shadows,  — 
could  any  artist  desire  anything  more  grand  ?  Be- 
fore us  is  the  valley  of  the  Ammonoosuc,  with  its 
gray  forests  of  deciduous  trees,  and  we  can  follow 
the  line  which  runs  along  the  range  that  ends  in 
Mount  Deception,  which  separates  this  forest  from 
that  of  the  evergreen  which  crowns  the  summit  of 
the  ridge.  There  in  the  valley  is  a  white  spot,  it  is 
the  Twin  River  Farm  ;  and  below  is  another,  that 
is  the  intervale,  where  stood  the  Fabyan  House. 

LAFAYETTE,    WITH     ITS     RIDGES     AND    NEIGHBORING 
PEAKS. 

But  look  beyond  ;  how  sharp  in  outline  is  each 
ridge,  as  the  sun  strikes  upon  them  and  throws  the 
shadows  westward  ;  but  above  all  these  ridges  rises 
Lafayette,  grand  in  its  canopy  of  snow ;  but  now 
its  sterner  features  are  softened  by  a  glow  of  rose- 
tinted,  amber  light.  South  rises  a  peak  symmetri- 
cal in  outline,  its  pointed  summit  so  pure,  that  for 
anything  to  touch  it,  except  those  beautiful  rays  of 
sunlight,  would  destroy  the  charm  witji  which  it  is 
now  invested.  Has  it  a  name  ?  Certainly ;  they 
call  it  Haystack.  What  a  name  for  a  mountain  of 
such  grand  and  noble  proportions  !  How  poetical ! 
Can  the  name  be  found  in  any  book  on  rhythm  ? 
If  Indian  names  are  exhausted,  let  us  at  least  have 
a  respectable  English  name  for  peaks  that  are  so 

9 


130  A  LOOK  SOUTHWARD  AND  WESTWARD. 

prominent.  Beyond,  and  a  little  to  the  south,  is 
Moosilauke.  Here  we  have,  thanks  to  Mr.  Will- 
iam Little  of  Manchester,  an  Indian  name  sub- 
stituted for  a  most  inappropriate  English  name 
Moosehillock ;  for  hillock  is  a  small  hill;  and  moose 
are  not  apt  to  climb  bare  summits.  A  mountain 
nearly  five  thousand  feet  high  deserves  something 
better  than  to  be  called  a  small  hill.  "  Broad- 
shouldered  "  it  is,  its  crest  having  been  rounded  by 
the  glaciers  that  came  from  the  north  ;  and  grand  is 
the  panorama  seen  from  its  summit.  Westward,  in 
Vermont,  is  the  whole  line  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
Camel's  Hump  and  the  long  line  of  Mount  Mans- 
field being  white  with  snow. 

TOWARDS   THE    NOTCH. 

Looking  a  little  south  of  the  line  above  indicated, 
we  follow  the  range  that  runs  towards  the  Notch. 
How  the  peaks  glitter  in  the  bright  sunlight ;  for 
the  light  snow  has  all  blown  over  into  the  ravines, 
and  the  Notch  seems  so  near  that  we  feel  almost 
like  taking  a  walk  to  view  there  the  winter  scene. 
Beyond  is  Mount  Willey,  and  a  ridge  from  thence 
stretches  southward  to  Carragain,  a  noble  mountain, 
with  precipitous  cliffs  and  deep  gorges  on  either 
side,  and  so  far  from  the  haunts  of  men  that  its 
summit  is  rarely  pressed  by  human  footsteps,  and 
grand  on  account  of  its  very  solitude.  To  the  west 


THE  SHADOWS.  131 

is  the  valley  of  the  east  branch  of  the  Pemigewas- 
set ;  we  can  see  to-day  the  ridges  on  the  south,  that 
reach  down  to  the  stream  itself,  each  one  almost 
as  sharp  and  distinct  in  outline  as  if  we  were  at 
their  very  base.  Southward  from  Carrigain,  peak 
follows  peak  until  the  range  ends  in  a  point  south 
of  Osceola.  To  follow  round  the  whole  horizon 
and  study  the  scene  that  is  spread  out  before  us 
would  take  several  days.  One  feature  more  of  the 
scene  that  is  particularly  striking  we  will  notice 
here,  namely,  the  shadows  as  they  fall  aslant  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  or  across  the  deep  valleys. 
On  account  of  the  snow  and  the  transparency  of 
the  atmosphere,  not  to  say  anything  of  the  length- 
ened shadows  of  winter,  they  are  much  more  notice- 
able than  in  summer.  On  Monroe,  Franklin,  and 
Pleasant,  there  is  the  most  beautiful  rose- tint,  just 
over  the  border ;  the  dark  shadows  of  the  mountains 
fall  on  the  snow  where  the  light  streams  through 
the  deep  ravines,  and,  as  the  sun  climbs  higher,  we 
watch  the  shadows  until  the  sunlight  flashes  down 
the  sides  of  the  mountains. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

PHOTOGRAPHING    UPON   MOUNT    WASHINGTON. 

S  photography  has  got  to  be  so  common  in 
every-day  life,  and  so  necessary  to  the  full 
success  of  every  expedition  of  importance, 
its  omission  on  the  present  occasion  would  have 
been  a  great  oversight,  and  have  left  the  prac- 
tical results  of  the  expedition  but  half  complete. 
It  is  the  province  of  the  photographer  to  bring 
to  the  eyes  of  the  public  that  which  is  not  of  a 
readily  accessible,  character;  thus  to  give  those 
who  cannot  visit  such  places  a  chance  to  see  won- 
ders and  beauties,  while  they  enjoy  the  comforts  of 
home,  enduring  none  of  the  perils,  dangers,  or  hard- 
ships, which  are  necessary  to  get  at  the  real. 

Though  the  pictures  can  convey  to  the  mind  but 
a  small  portion  of  the  real  grandeur  of  the  scenes 
as  beheld  by  the  eye,  they  nevertheless  have  a 
fascinating  beauty  that  charms  and  gives  a  sense 
of  sublimity  to  the  lover  of  nature,  in  her  varied 
forms. 

The  photographer  who  makes  nature  his  study, 


FIRST  VIEW  OF  FROST  WORK.  133 

with  a  view  to  reproduce  her  various  charms,  soon 
becomes  an  enthusiast,  and  is  ready  to  brave  almost 
any  hardship  or  danger  in  order  to  secure  the  like- 
ness of  a  gem  or  "  bit."  A  musical  waterfall,  or 
thundering  cataract,  a  peaceful  vale  where  the  flocks 
graze  in  quiet  security,  the  wild  mountain  crag 
where  the  eagle  screams  its  shrill  notes,  a  tropical 
bower  where  perpetual  summer  brings  forth  rich 
and  continuous  verdure,  and  the  barren,  desolate 
mountain  peaks  of  snow  and  frost  towering  far 
above  the  clouds ;  they  will  all  afford  some  subject 
for  the  Knight  of  the  Camera  to  "  bang  away  at," 
and  from  which  to  bear  off  a  trophy  that  shall  de- 
light "  the  millions,"  and  fittingly  reward  the  enthu- 
siam  of  the  true  artist,  and  also  line  his  pocket 
with  "  greenbacks." 

October  of  1864  was  the  first  time  I  ever  beheld 
the  beauty  of  the  frost-work  upon  the  mountains. 
It  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Moosilauke  ; 
and  my  attempts  to  photograph  it  were  frustrated 
by  the  storm,  as  I  was  not  prepared  for  any  lengthy 
stay  or  proper  effort.  I  visited  it  again  the  next 
year,  but  failed  from  the  same  cause  ;  and  not  until 
the  year  of  1869,  when  Mr.  Huntington  and  myself 
made  arrangements  to  spend  the  winter  up  amongst 
storms  and  clouds,  did  I  meet  with  anything  like 
success. 

When  we  first  proposed  to  make  that  mountain 


134    PHOTOGRAPHING  UPON  MT.  WASHINGTON- 

our  home  for  the  winter,  it  had  become  late  in  the 
season,  and  the  mountains  were  already  covered 
with  snow.  Provisions  and  fuel  had  to  be  got  up, 
which  was  no  easy  task,  where  but  few  had  any 
sympathy  for  us,  and  fewer  still  were  willing  to 
help,  while  a  larger  share  were  ready  to  raise  all 
sorts  of  "  bugbears  "  not  calculated  to  inspire  us 
with  confidence  in  anything  like  success.  The  idea 
of  photographing  under  such  adverse  circumstances 
wanted  something  of  the  proper  stimulus ;  but  still 
I  determined  to  try  it,  believing  the  more  obstacles 
overcome  the  greater  the  satisfaction,  so  long  as  it 
proposed  only  a  bloodless  offering. 

When  so  many  of  the  craft  fail,  with  every  con- 
venience at  hand,  and  with  every  requisite  for  pro- 
ducing good  work,  it  should  not  be  expected  that 
uniform  success  could  be  met  with  where  every 
convenience  is  wanting,  in  the  matter  of  materials, 
and  where  nature  has  opposed  serious  obstacles  ; 
but,  with  a  full  appreciation  of  the  troubles  to  be 
met  and  overcome,  I  was  determined  to  try  until 
my  chemicals  or  myself  froze  up ;  so  with  my  traps 
lashed  on  a  hand-sled,  we  toiled  up  the  mountain 
of  5,000  feet,  walking  on  snow-shoes.  It  was  a 
hard  task,  but  was  accomplished  in  good  time  ;  and 
though  my  success  was  not  always  complete,  it 
served  to  show  what  might  be  done  with  proper 
will  and  perseverance,  even  in  extremities. 


ANTICIPATIONS.  135 

This  experience  was  of  value,  and  many  of  the 
views  taken  were  of  interest ;  and  I  may  say  that 
some  of  them  have  never  been  surpassed  for 
beauty. 

When  on  a  clear  day  we  could  see  the  glistening 
summit  of  Mount  Washington,  we  often  asked  our- 
selves the  question,  "  Shall  we  next  winter  occupy 
the  top  of  that  mountain  ?  "  And  I  think  that  it 
was  as  fully  settled  in  our  minds  then  as  at  any 
time  after,  if  the  necessary  funds  could  be  raised. 
In  this  expedition  we  paid  our  own  expenses,  ex- 
cepting what  a  few  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  of 
Warren  gave  by  assisting  us  to  get  up  wood,  and 
one  other  man  who  gave  some  money.  So  we  had 
most  of  the  glory  to  ourselves. 

When  it  was  determined  to  make  the  effort  to 
occupy  Mount  Washington,  I  felt  that  it  was  to  be 
a  hazardous  job ;  but  was  ready  and  willing  to  do 
the  best  I  could,  and  made  all  necessary  prepara- 
tions; had  all  chemicals,  apparatus,  etc.,  that  could 
be  forwarded,  packed  and  sent  up  by  the  railroad  ; 
yet  there  were  many  things  that  could  not  be  safely 
sent  up  in  that  way,  as  there  was  to  be  some  lapse 
of  time  between  the  arrival  of  them  and  the  time 
of  the  commencement  of  the  occupation.  As  it  is 
winter  weather  there  in  October,  many  things  that 
would  spoil  must  be  taken  up  at  the  time  of  the 
final  ascent. 


136    PHOTOGRAPHING  UPON  MT.  WASHINGTON. 

In  the  interim  Mr.  Kimball,  of  Concord,  N.  H., 
proposed  to  the  Head  of  the  expedition,  to  go  as 
photographer,  not  knowing  that  I  was  to  occupy 
that  place.  He  was  referred  to  me,  when  we  soon 
made  satisfactory  arrangements  to  have  him  ac- 
company me  ;  and  from  his  Diary  kept  while  on 
the  mountain,  a  part  of  which  will  complete  this 
chapter,  will  be  found  some  of  the  more  minute 
details  of  our  work  while  there. 

We  made  the  ascent  on  the  afternoon  of  No- 
vember 80  ;  a  time  that  will  not  be  soon  forgot- 
ten by  the  parties.  Mr.  Kimball's  narrow  escape 
from  death  on  that  night,  will  ever  be  a  thrill- 
ing epoch  in  his  life,  as  well  as  in  that  of  some 
friends  who  accompanied  us.  Shut  in  the  folds  of 
a  dense  cloud,  the  wind  sweeping  across  the  barren 
frozen  waste  at  a  hurricane  speed,  and  the  darkness 
of  night  gathering  fast  around  us  while  we  were  a 
long  way  from  the  top,  and  our  friend  sinking  down 
exhausted,  begging  to  have  us  leave  him  and  save 
ourselves,  and  when  told  it  was  sure  death,  firmly 
accepting  what  he  deemed  inevitable,  all  made  it 
a  time  that  would  try  the  nerves  of  the  most  reso- 
lute ;  but  to  leave  him  was  as  remote  from  our 
thoughts  as  anything  could  be  ;  so  we  abandoned 
everything  to  save  him ;  and,  by  taking  him  al- 
most by  main  force,  we  could  get  him  up  a  few 
steps  at  a  time,  when  we  were  obliged  to  let  him 


THE  FIRST  SUNRISE.  137 

rest,  and  we  ourselves  were  glad  to  take  a  re- 
spite. By  two  hours  hard  and  unremitting  toil,  we 
got  to  the  top,  and  brought  our  man  in  safety ; 
though  he  says  he  has  no  distinct  recollection  of 
the  last  part  of  the  journey. 

He  was  not  frozen,  but  completely  exhausted. 
We  were  all  pretty  well  exhausted,  but  soon  re- 
covered. With  the  wind  blowing  at  the  rate  of 

o 

seventy  miles  an  hour,  and  the  thermometer  nearly 
at  zero,  there  can  be  but  a  small  amount  of  pleasure 
in  climbing  a  mountain  at  night  in  a  storm  cloud. 
There  is  truly  nothing  but  extreme  hardship  and 
hazard. 

Herewith  is  a  part  of  Mr.  Kimball's  Diary,  kept 
while  on  the  mountain  ;  and  as  it  was  written  at  the 
time  when  the  events  were  fresh  in  the  mind,  it  will 
be  more  interesting  than  anything  I  can  write  re- 
garding our  work.  A.  F.  CLOUGH. 

MONDAY,  DECEMBER  5, 1871. 

FIRST   DAY'S  WORK  AT   PHOTOGRAPHING    ON    MOUNT 
WASHINGTON. 

Mr.  Huntington  called  us  early  this  morning  to 
see  the  sun  rise  out  of  the  ocean.  It  was  a  grand 

O 

sight,  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  several 
minutes  after  he  came  in  sight  before  he  was,  as  it 
seemed,  out  of  the  ocean,  and  he  looked  much  larger 
to  me  than  ever  before,  and  did  not  dazzle  the  eyes 


138    PHOTOGRAPHING  UPON  MT.  WASHINGTON. 

as  he  usually  does.  We  concluded  to  avail  our- 
selves of  the  fair  weather,  and  commence  our  series 
of  views  at  once  ;  so  we  regulated  chemicals  and 
instruments  as  soon  as  possible,  and  commenced 
operations  immediately.  After  breakfast,  Mr. 
Huntington  started  down  the  mountain  on  his  way 
to  Littleton,  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the  tele- 
graph wire,  which  we  hoped  soon  to  have  in  work- 
ing order.  An  extract  from  my  Diary  reads  :  "  The 
day  is  beautiful,  we  are  perfectly  comfortable  out- 
side without  overcoats,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Observatory  the  frost  is  thawing  quite  rapidly. 
Thermometer  22°." 

We  have  succeeded  in  making  some  very  good 
views,  but  not  as  large  a  variety  as  we  intend  to 
have  before  we  complete  our  winter's  work.  Our 
first  was  looking  east,  with  the  Glen  stable  in  the 
foreground.  It  is  a  pretty  cloud  view,  showing  as 
it  does,  grand  masses  of  silvery,  cumulus  clouds, 
as  they  pour  down  over  mounts  Monroe  and 
Franklin,  over  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  and  down 
through  the  Glen.  Another  gives  a  fine  view  of 
the  Carter  Range  of  mountains,  and  in  the  fore- 
ground the  Glen  and  Alpine  stables,  two  buildings 
a  few  rods  below  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  which 
are  now  covered  with  beautiful  frost-work  several 
feet  thick,  as  is  everything  on  the  top  of  the  moun-. 
tain.  We  have  also  made  three  negatives  of  clouds, 


CLOUDS.  139 

which  were  at  least  half  a  mile  below  us.  They 
resemble  the  waves  on  the  ocean,  only  the  cloud 
waves  are  in  some  places  twenty  or  thirty  miles 
long.  They  pass  over  a  range  of  mountains,  and 
take  a  long  sweep  across  the  valleys,  and  then  rise 
over  the  mountains  on  the  opposite  side  ;  and,  as  a 
general  thing,  after  passing  over  and  coming  down 
on  the  other  side,  they  break  up  in  small  clusters, 
resembling,  on  a  grand  scale,  the  surf  from  breaking 
waves.  We  have  made  some  photographs  of  this, 
but  they  give  only  a  limited  idea  of  the  grandeur 
of  the  captivating  view  thus  spread  out  beneath  us. 
All  these  clouds  move  rapidly  from  the  southwest, 
probably  at  a  velocity  of  forty  miles  an  hour,  while 
on  this  summit  it  blows  generally  from  the  north- 
west. We  have  made  a  view  which  shows  a  small 
portion  of  a  remarkable  cloud  effect,  or  phenome- 
non. It  was  like  a  parallel  belt  on  the  distant  hor- 
izon, whose  circuit  must  have  been  more  than  a 
thousand  miles.  It  resembled  the  tire  to  an  im- 
mense cart-wheel  (we  occupying  the  place  for  the 
hub),  which  was  beyond,  and  encircled  all  the  lakes, 
mountains,  etc.  It  was  even  beyond  Mount  Katah- 
din.  At  the  south  its  upper  edge  was  parallel 
with  the  point  farthest  north.  At  noon  it  appears 
to  be  approaching  us  as  a  centre,  and  as  it  nears  us 
it  breaks  up  in  magnificent  great  thunder  heads, 
minus  the  thunder.  All  this  time  our  view  is  be- 


140   PHOTOGRAPHING  UPON  MT.  WASHINGTON. 

coming  more  limited.  Now  we  look  over  to  Mount 
Washington's  younger  brother,  Mount  Adams,  cov- 
ered with  clouds,  with  the  exception  of  the  top, 
which  looms  up  like  a  mighty  Titan,  scorning  to 
have  a  cloud-veil  thrown  so  soon  over  his  majestic 
head.  The  sun  responds  to  the  royal  endeavor,  and 
sends  a  shower  of  his  warm  beams  down  on  the 
bleak  summit,  standing  up  alone  to  our  view,  a  bright 
little  island  white  with  snow,  as  pure  as  the  purest 
velvet,  in  a  rough  silvery  ocean  of  clouds.  All 
this  time  it  was  snowing  below,  but  we  knew  noth- 
ing of  it  until  to-night.  Our  view  of  the  surround- 
ing mountains  lasts  only  a  short  time  longer,  for 
we  see  to  the  west  thick,  heavy  clouds,  marching 
upon  us,  and  by  four  o'clock  we  become  densely 
shrouded.  We  cannot  see  the  Tip-top  House  from 
the  observatory,  not  many  feet  distant. 

Sergeant  Smith  made  his  connections  with  bat- 
teries and  cables,  and  we  hope  soon  to  be  in  com- 
munication with  the  world  below. 

Last  night  we  discovered  a  new  boarder,  in  the 
form  of  a  sable.  He  must  like  well,  for  we  make 
liberal  waste  for  his  sake.  I  suppose  in  passing 
over  the  mountain  he  scented  our  larder,  and  was 
attracted  by  the  prospect  of  a  nice  dinner.  We 
hope  to  see  more  of  the  sly  little  fellow.  We  shall 
feed  him  like  a  prince.  I  hope  he  won't  kill  our 
mice,  for  it  is  pleasant  to  know  there  is  animal  life 


THRO  WN  DO  WN  BY  WIND.  141 

near  us,  if  nothing  more  than  a  poor  little  "  var- 
rnint  "  of  a  mouse. 

While  making  a  negative  to-day,  a  crow  flew 
past  me.  He  seemed  in  haste,  and  so  did  not  stop 
to  sit  for  his  picture,  which  I  would  gladly  have 
made. 

Thursday^  December  29,  1870.  This  morning 
I  went  out  to  see  if  we  could  make  some  negatives 
during  the  day.  I  had  barely  got  out,  when  the 
wind  swept  me,  with  resistless  force,  away  from  our 
entrance  or  door,  and  I  only  saved  myself  from  the 
rude  handling  and  probable  bruising,  by  catching 
the  chain  which  passed  over  the  building.  It 
hurled  me  with  such  power  as  to  swing  me  in  to- 
ward the  depot  into  a  snow  drift,  which  was  much 
better  than  to  have  been  swept  upon  the  rocks  cov- 
ered with  the  frost  feathers.  How  was  I  to  face 
such  a  wind  and  get  back  ?  I  tried  several  times, 
each  time  carried  back  by  the  force  of  the  wind,  the 
velocity  of  which,  at  times,  must  have  been  as  high 
as  seventy  miles  an  hour,  but  not  steadily  thus. 
There  were  lulls  when  it  did  not  reach  more  than 
forty  miles  an  hour,  and  in  one  of  these  I  crawled 
back  on  "all  fours,"  and  got  into  the  Observatory, 
determined  to  stay  there  as  long  as  the  wind  blew 
so  furiously ;  and  we  have  decided,  without  much 
question,  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  make  a  photo- 
graph to-day. 


142    PHOTOGRAPHING  UPOtf  MT.  WASHINGTON. 

The  day  is  clear  and  cold.  To  look  out  of  the 
window  it  seems  very  inviting,  but  it  is  like  the  ap- 
ples of  Sodom,  fair  to  look  upon  but  "  bad  to  take." 
The  wind  has  been  increasing  all  day.  At  seven 
A.  M.,  observations:  velocity  of  wind  forty-six  miles 
an  hour;  two  p.  M.,  fifty-seven  miles;  four  P.  M., 
seventy-two  miles ;  at  seven  p.  M.,  forty-six  miles, 
and  at  nine  p.  M.,  nearly  calm.  A  great  change  in 
fourteen  hours,  especially  in  the  last  two  hours. 
Barometer  has  fallen  rapidly  all  day. 

Friday,  December  30,  1870.  The  morning  is 
calm,  clear,  and  beautiful.  It  is  what  we  have 
waited  a  month  for.  We  commenced  work  on  our 
chemicals  at  daylight,  warming  and  filtering  our 
baths,  suitably  tempering  developer,  etc.,  and  heat- 
ing all  our  instruments,  to  drive  the  moisture  from 
them  ;  putting  our  dark  room  in  order,  and  melting 
ice  for  water  to  use  in  washing  negatives.  We 
commenced  making  negatives  at  sunrise.  Experi- 
enced great  difficulty,  in  exposing  the  sensitized 
plate,  to  avoid  the  destruction  of  the  film  by  freez- 
ing. We  carried  the  plate  in  a  warm  woollen 
blanket,  but  this  could  only  serve  in  carrying.  As 
soon  as  the  plate  was  put  in  the  camera  from  the 
warm  blanket,  it  would  raise  a  cloud  .of  vapor  from 
the  moisture  inside,  which  would  congeal  on  the 
plate  and  inside  of  the  camera,  and  give  the  inside 
lenses  of  the  tubes  the  appearance  of  ground  glass, 


WINTER   VISITS.  143 

which  of  course  would  prevent  the  landscapes  be- 
ing imaged  upon  the  plate.  Our  only  resort  was 
to  keep  the  plate  and  holder  only  a  few  degrees 
warmer  than  the  camera.  Then  putting  our  plate 
into  the  camera,  exposing,  taking  it  from  the  cam- 
era, and  carrying  it  under  protection  of  the  heat  of 
the  body  and  coat,  developing  as  soon  as  possible, 
success  crowned  our  efforts.  We  were  from  two 
to  five  seconds  in  taking  the  plate-holder  from  its 
shelter  under  our  coats,  fixing  it  in  the  camera,  lift- 
ing slide,  exposing  and  returning  plate  to  shelter. 
If  we  delayed  in  the  least,  the  negative  would  be 
frozen  and  thus  spoiled. 

In  the  morning  we  made  a  few  eight  by  ten 
negatives  ;  but  as  we  were  making  the  last  of  them, 
the  wind  freshened  up,  and  we  could  not  make  as 
many  as  we  wished.  The  camera  presented  a  large 
surface  to  the  wind,  and  was  very  decidedly  shaken. 
We  could  not  have  had  a  much  better  day  for  our 
work.  In  the  morning  there  was  not  a  cloud  to  be 
seen  in  any  direction,  so  to-day  we  finish  all  we 
intend  to  do  before  spring.  And  now  we  are  ready 
to  bid  "  good  bye  "  to  our  pleasant  winter  home 
above  the  clouds,  and  seek  a  more  comfortable  place 
"  down  on  the  earth,"  as  we  say.  We  have  been 
here  a  little  more  than  a  month,  but  have  been 
obliged  to  keep  housed  so  much  of  the  time  that  it 
seems  much  longer.  Employments  and  associations 


1-14    PHOTOGRAPHING  UPON  MT.  WASHINGTON- 

here  have  been  full  of  interest  and  extremely  pleas- 
ant, and  it  will  be  with  many  regrets  that  I  leave 
friends  and  comrades,  hoping  no  accident  will  befall 
them,  and  that  the  completest  success  will  crown 
their  toilsome  and  hazardous  efforts. 

Before  I  close  to-day's  memoranda,  I  must  speak 
of  the  splendid  view  which  we  had,  after  the  wind, 
by  blowing  so  fiercely,  obliged  us  to  quit  work. 
We  could  see  distinctly  hundreds  of  mountains, 
lakes,  ponds,  etc.  Off  to  the  northeast  in  the 
distance  —  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  — 
we  see  Mount  Katahdin,  the  highest  mountain  in 
Maine ;  and  a  little  to  the  north  we  see  mountains 
which  apparently  are  much  farther  away  than 
Mount  Katahdin,  and  must  be  in  the  upper  part 
of  Maine,  near  Canada.  We  never  before  saw  the 
ocean  nearly  as  plain  as  to-day.  We  could  see  a 
great  distance  "  to  sea."  Off  to  the  southwest  we 
could  see  Kearsarge  Mountain  and  Monadnock,  and 
over  the  Green  Mountains  the  Adirondacks  and 
Lake  Cham  plain,  in  northern  New  York,  were  dis- 
tinctly visible.  About  two  o'clock  p.  M.  I  noticed 
a  long  hazy  line  over  the  ocean.  Soon  it  grew 
larger,  and  then  I  could  see  it  was  nearing  us,  and 
in  an  hour  it  was  within  forty  miles ;  and  we  could 
see  it  as  a  vast  sea  of  cumulus  clouds.  The  wind 
was  increasing,  and  had  changed  from  the  east  to 
the  south,  and  it  carried  the  approaching  clouds  and 


KIMBALL'S  EXPERIENCE.  145 

storm  to  the  north  of  us.  We  were  thankful  to  see 
it  go  by  without  striking  us,  for  it  is  grand  to  be- 
hold, but  not  desirable  for  a  covering.  To-night 
we  have  some  of  the  effects  of  it  in  the  wind, 
which,  as  I  write,  is  blowing  a  '  most  violent  hurri- 
cane,' making  the  Observatory  creak.  A  rew  hours 
ago  the  wind  was  scarcely  noticeable ;  now,  its 
velocity  is  over  eighty  miles  an  hour.  And  for  a 
wonder,  it  comes  from  the  south,  instead  of  north- 
west, as  usual,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  it 
tears  off  all  the  loose  ice  and  frost  from  the  Ob- 
servatory. It  seems  as  if  we  were  at  sea  in  a  se- 
vere gale,  and  broken  ice  and  timbers  were  beating 
against  our  ship,  and  at  times  our  building  shakes 
like  a  vessel  in  storm.  We  don't  sleep  much  on 
such  a  stirring  occasion.  H.  A.  KIMBALL. 

10 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE      TELEGRAPH      WIRE,      HOW      OBTAINED,      HOW 
LAID,     AND     HOW    WORKED. 


T  was  found  early  in  the  history  of  the 
White  Mountain  Expedition  that  a  tele- 
graph was  essential  to  success.  The  com- 
mon wire  could  not  be  used  in  winter,  as  the 
ice  collecting  on  it  would  break  it,  and  the  wet 
snow  covering  the  wire  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
mountain  would  cause  a  constant  escape  of  elec- 
tricity ;  so  we  must  have  an  insulated  wire.  The 
cost  of  such  a  wire  was  about  a  thousand  dollars, 
but  fortunately,  the  Bureau  of  Telegrams  and  Re- 
ports for  the  Benefits  of  Commerce,  decided  to 
make  Mount  Washington  one  of  their  stations  for 
the  winter,  and  from  this  Bureau  we  obtained  an 
insulated  wire  and  telegraph  supplies.  It  was 
planned  to  take  the  wire  to  the  summit  by  the  railr 
road,  but  it  did  not  reach  the  mountain  before 
the  engines  were  laid  up  for  the  winter.  The 
only  alternatives  were  to  get  men  to  carry  the  wire 
up  the  west  side,  or  else  transport  it  by  a  long 


AURORAL  DISPLAY.  147 

and  tedious  route  around  the  mountain  and  haul 
it  up  the  carriage  road,  rebuilding  the  hundred 
bridges  which  had  been  taken  up  for  the  winter. 
We  decided  upon  the  last  method. 

After  the  wire  had  been  taken  around  to  the 
east  side  of  the  mountain,  we  found  that  the  instru- 
ments, batteries,  etc.,  were  still  at  Littleton,  and  an- 
other journey  had  to  be  made.  So  important  was 
it  that  there  should  be  the  least  possible  delay,'  we 
started  from  the  east  side  of  the  mountain  after  the 
sun  had  disappeared  behind  the  mountain  summits. 
As  it  was  the  evening  of  the  grand  auroral  display 
in  October,  the  night  ride  gave  us  an  opportu- 
nity of  observing  a  scene  of  unusual  magnificence. 
Through  Randolph,  the  grand  peaks  of  Madison, 
Adams,  and  Jefferson,  tower  high  and  seem  to 
touch  the  streamers  as  they  shoot  upward  towards 
the  zenith  and  form  a  beautiful  corona.  Now  it 
fades,  but  reappears  in  red  and  crimson  lights ; 
even  in  the  dark  woods  of  Jefferson  the  glow  of 
lio-ht  illuminates  the  dark  forests.  When  we  reach 

O  * 

the  hills  of  Whitefield,  the  aurora  has  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  the  full  autumn  moon  shines  in  all  its 
wonted  splendor.  Having  obtained  the  supplies, 
the  next  day  we  returned,  and  the  day  following 
they  were  taken  up  the  carriage  road  to  the  summit 
of  the  mountain. 


148  THE  TELEGRAPH  WIRE. 

THE   WIRE    HOW   LAID. 

Though  the  wire  was  now  upon  the  summit,  it 
was  still  a  serious  question  how  it  was  to  be  laid 
alohg-,  the  railway.  A  sled  seven  feet  long  was 
constructed,  the  coils  were  placed  upon  it,  one 
being  mounted  on  a  reel.  One  of  us  sat  upon  a 
board  in  front  to  guide  the  sled  and  the  other  was 
behind,  sliding  down  hill,  as  explained  on  page  75, 
and  illustrated  in  the  accompanying  sketch.  The 
sled  upon  the  railway  glides  smoothly  down  the 
steep  grade,  and  the  wire  uncoils  beautifully  and  is 
laid  just  where  it  is  wanted.  It  was  something  feai'- 
ful  to  pass  over  the  high  trestle  below  the  Gulf  Tank 
and  on  Jacob's  Ladder,  and  even  now  it  almost 
makes  one  shudder  to  think  of  those  dizzy  heights, 
the  load  we  had,  and  the  steep  grade.  But  we  reach 
Marshfield  in  three  hours  from  the  time  of  starting, 
and  the  wire  has  been  successfully  laid.  On  our 
return  the  wire  is  fastened  down  with  eyelets  close 
to  the  outer  rail,  and  the  summit  is  reached  just  at 
dark.  We  put  it  on  the  ties,  because  if  placed  on 
the  ground  where  there  was  little  snow,  it  would  be 
constantly  moved  by  the  wind  and  soon  worn  off; 
and  should  it  be  broken  in  the  snow  and  ice  there 
would  not  be  the  least  possibility  of  finding  where 
it  was  broken,  as  we  should  not  know  where  to  look 
for  the  wire.  On  the  railway  we  always  know 


LAYING   THE   CABLE  ON   JACOB'S    LADDER. 


REPAIRING  THE   CABLE.  149 

where  the  wire  is,  and  more  than  half  the  way  to 
Marshfield  it  has  been  most  of  the  time  out  of 
the  snow. 

PUTTING   THE    LINE    IN   WORKING    ORDER. 

Sergeant  Smith,  on  his  way  to  the  mountain,  found 
the  line  between  Littleton  and  Marshfield  broken, 
and  in  several  places  the  wind  had  blown  the  wire 
from  off  the  insulators.  The  inclement  weather 
in  the  first  part  of  December  prevented  all  at- 
tempts to  repair  it.  One  of  the  party  went  to 
Littleton  on  the  10th,  repairing  the  line  on  his  way 
there.  No  breaks  had  been  detected  in  the  cable 
so  far,  as  it  was  almost  throughout  its  entire  length 
covered  with  snow  and  frost. 

On  the  12th  we  descended  the  mountain,  and 
putting  an  instrument  into  the  circuit  at  Marsh- 
field  we  had  communication  with  Littleton,  N.  H., 
showing  that  the  main  line  of  the  Western  Union 
Company  was  in  working  order  and  that  the  breaks 
were  in  the  cable.  The  chances  of  finding  them 
were  very  small,  the  snow  being  in  some  places  over 
twelve  feet  deep,  but  we  had  determined  to  make 
the  cable  a  success.  Digging  out  the  wire  as  we 
ascended  the  mountain,  and  testing  the  current  by 
connecting  the  cable  from  time  to  time  with  the 
main  wire  to  the  summit,  which  we  used  for  a 
ground  connection  by  running  it  into  the  brook  at 


150  THE  TELEGRAPH   WIRE. 

Marslifield,  we  ascertained  that  the  cable  was  all 
right  as  far  as  Jacob's  Ladder.  Here  after  a  dili- 
gent search,  we  not  only  found  the  cable  broken, 
but  also  the  main  line  or  the  ground  wire.  We 
were  convinced  that  it  would  be  necessaiy  to  de- 
tach the  cable  here  from  the  railway,  as  the  tres- 
tlework  is  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  high,  ex- 
posing the  small  cable,  which  is  merely  a  No.  16 
copper  wire,  covered  with  gutta  percha,  to  the  force 
of  the  wind.  So  a  new  piece  was  put  in  and  buried 
in  the  snow  along  the  railway  to  the  upper  end  of 
Jacob's  Ladder.  We  proceeded  on  our  weary  trip 
up  the  mountain,  still  testing  the  current  as  we 
went  along,  until  we  reached  Lizzie  Bourne's  mon- 
ument. Here,  after  removing  some  six  feet  of 
snow,  we  found  another  break  ;  but,  as  night  set 
in,  we  were  unable  to  mend  it. 

The  following  day  found  us  early  at  work  mend- 
ing the  last  break,  although  the  weather  was  fear- 
ful. A  dense  cloud  rested  upon  the  mountain,  and 
the  drifting  masses  of  frozen  mist  soon  covered  us 
with  a  coat  of  snow  and  ice.  Returning  to  the 
Observatory  we  found  the  instrument  working  and 
Littleton  calling.  We  all  were  overjoyed,  as  our 
arrangements  were  now  completed,  and  the  cable 
a  success.  Although  the  line  was  worked  with  a 
powerful  battery,  the  current  remained  rather 
feeble,  a  circumstance  which  we  attributed  to  the 


TELEGRAPH  INSTRUMENTS.  151 

great  number  of  naked  joints  in  the  cable.  The 
difficulties  that  were  to  be  overcome  in  transmitting 
and  receiving  messages  may  easily  be  imagined. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  our  telegraphic  connection 
with  the  u  world  below  "  is  looked  upon  by  us  as 
the  most  important  outfit  of  our  Observatory,  as  we 
can  thus  transmit  meteorological  observations,  and 
in  return  hear  of  all  news  of  importance  as  soon  if 
not  sooner  than  many  a  person  "  down  on  earth." 
For  the  latter  we  are  under  many  obligations  to  the 
obliging  operator  (Mr.  A.  H.  Currier)  at  Littleton, 
N.  H. 

The  length  of  the  cable  is  nearly  three  miles,  and 
the  distance  from  Marshfield,  where  it  connects 
with  the  Western  Union  Company's  line,  to  Lit- 
tleton, is  twenty-three  miles.  The  instniment  used 
here  is  a  box-sounder,  a  combination  of  relay  and 
sounder  with  key  attached,  manufactured  by  L. 
G.  Tillotson  and  Co.,  in  New  York,  and  it  be- 
longs to  the  Signal  Department  U.  S.  A.  These 
instruments  are  used  in  the  army  field-telegraph- 
trains,  and  dispense,  up  to  circuits  of  over  a  hun- 
dred miles  in  length,  by  fair  insulation,  with  the 
use  of  local  batteries  and  sounders. 

The  line  has  frequently  been  charged  with  atmos- 
pheric electricity,  especially  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  7th  of  January,  when  on  account  of  the  high 
tension  of  these  currents  it  became  utterly  unman- 
ageable. When  the  key  was  opened,  the  flow  of 


152  THE  TELEGRAPH   WIRE. 

the  current  still  continued,  exhibiting  bright  sparks 
leaping  from  one  platinum  point  to  the  other. 
After  dark  no  auroral  display  could  be  seen. 
There  is  a  wire  connecting  the  summit  with  the 
Glen  House,  which  is  detached  from  the  poles  and 
laid  upon  the  ground  during  the  winter  to  protect 
it  from  the  violent  winds  prevailing  at  this  season. 
We  had  it  attached  to  an  instrument,  and  although 
no  battery  was  used,  we  discovered  that  it  was 
sometimes  charged  with  electric  currents,  which 
deflected  the  needle  considerably.  The  Glen  wire 
was  broken  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  sum- 
mit, and  the  one  down  the  railway  had  parted  at 
about  the  same  distance,  thus  making  the  phe- 
nomenon quite  remarkable. 

REPAIRING   THE   LINE   UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 

The  first  interruption  occurred  on  the  morning 
of  January  14,  but  the  break  was  soon  found  and 
repaired.  Eight  days  later  the  cable  broke  again, 
and  Sergeant  Smith,  while  searching  for  the  break 
near  Jacob's  Ladder,  slipped  on  the  ice  and  slid  a 
considerable  distance,  and  only  saved  himself  from 
being  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  by  catching  in 
the  trestle-work  of  the  railway.  The  return  to  the 
summit  was  a  feat  which  took  him  some  four  hours 
to  perform,  he  being  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  left 
foot.  Another  break  occurred  early  in  February, 


REPAIRING  THE   CABLE.  153 

but  fortunately  it  was  near  the  summit.  Six  trips 
had  to  be  made  before  the  damage  was  repaired, 
the  wind  blowing  at  the  time  seventy-six  miles  an 
hour  and  the  temperature  being  16°. 

During  the  tremendous  storm  of  February  17  the 
cable  was  considerably  damaged  near  the  Great 
Gulf,  and  the  extreme  cold  and  stormy  weather 
during  the  subsequent  three  days  prevented  repairs, 
although  Sergeant  Smith  made  several  attempts, 
returning  once  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers  frozen. 
Communication  was  finally  reestablished  on  the 
afternoon  of  February  22. 

Only  a  few  days  later,  the  cable  ceased  to  work 
again,  and  it  was  found  that  the  ground  wire  was 
broken.  The  operator  then  tried  one  of  the  iron 
strap  rails  of  the  railway  for  a  ground  and  it  worked 
all  right,  although  not  as  satisfactory  as  the  wire, 
for  the  wet  snow  covering  the  railway  near  the  base 
of  the  mountain  formed  the  only  medium  of  es- 
cape. Through  some  unknown  cause  this  ground 
connection  failed  to  work  in  April,  and  the  break 
in  the  main  wrire  not  having  been  found  yet,  we 
tried  the  water  pipes  running  from  the  upper 
springs  to  the  tank  at  Jacob's  Ladder,  and  this 
worked  excellently,  especially  after  a  long  iron 
spike  had  been  driven  into  the  soil  near  the  upper 
line  of  vegetation  and  the  pipe  connected  with  it. 


154 


THE  TELEGRAPH  WIRE. 


Ever  since  then  the  line  has  worked  finely,  and 
we  consider  ourselves  fortunate  that  no  more  se- 
rious troubles  have  interfered  with  the  sending  of 
messages.  The  main  line  to  Littleton  remained  in 

O 

good  order  throughout  the  winter,  while  during  the 
previous  season  it  had  been  severely  damaged  by 
the  falling  of  decayed  trees,  etc.  As  the  greater 
part  of  the  messages  transmitted  over  our  line  were 
for  places  quite  distant,  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company  has  derived  a  handsome  income 
from  that  source. 


CHAPTER  XL 

LIFE    ON   THE    SUMMIT. 

OST  persons  suppose  that  life  on  Mount 
Washington  in  winter  must  be  gloomy,  and 
gloomy  enough  it  would  be,  at  times,  when 
the  summit  is  enveloped  in  dense  clouds  for  weeks, 
if  it  were  not  for  the  cheering  click  of  the  telegraph 
instrument.  They  might  suppose  also  that  time 
would  be  extended  indefinitely ;  that  at  night  we 
should  wish  it  was  morning,  and  that  in  the  morn- 
ing we  should  long  for  night  to  come,  and  thus  drag 
out  a  weary  existence.  If  the  time  of  any  persons 
in  excellent  health  is  wholly  occupied  in  a  pursuit 
that  is  congenial  they  are  rarely  gloomy,  and  are 
almost  unconscious  of  the  flight  of  time.  But  here, 
besides  good  health  and  time  occupied,  there  is 
an  excitement  found  nowhere  else. 


THE    EXCITEMENT    OF    LIVING    ON    A    MOUNTAIN 
SUMMIT. 

One  gorgeous  sunrise  throwing  a   flood  of  light 
across  a  sea  of  clouds,  one  glorious  sunset  tingeing 


156  LIFE  ON  THE  SUMMIT. 

the  clouds  with  crimson  and  gold,  and  as  the  sun 
descends  leaving  the  blush  of  day  upon  these  snowy 
summits,  or  a  storm  unprecedented  at  lower  eleva- 
tions, infuse  into  our  life  enough  that  is  grand  and 
sublime  to  occupy  the  thoughts  for  weeks.  With 
such  surroundings,  a  person,  on  account  of  the  in- 
tense excitement,  may  live  too  fast  to  have  life 
extended  to  full  threescore  years  and  ten  ;  but  there 
is  a  pleasure  in  it  that  would  fully  compensate  for  a 
few  days  cut  off'  from  the  number  to  which  life 
might  be  lengthened  if  passed  in  some  quiet  retreat, 
undisturbed  by  anything  that  arouses  the  whole 
beino1,  and  carries  the  mind  into  ecstasies  of  delight. 

o*  o 

So  days  and  weeks  pass,  and  we  are  almost  uncon- 
scious of  the  lapse  of  time. 

OUR  ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  COMFORT  AND  CONVEN- 
IENCE. 

But  this  record  would  not  be  complete  without 
something  specific  being  said  of  our  habitation  and 
our  daily  life,  and  it  cannot  be  told  better  than  in 
the  language  of  "  Ranger,"  the  excellent  corre- 
spondent of  the  "  Boston  Journal." 

"  As  the  lessee  of  the  Tip-top  and  Summit 
houses  raised  objections  to  the  occupancy  of  either 
of  those  buildings,  Mr.  Huntington  and  his  com- 
panions obtained  permission  from  the  Railway 
Ccmpany  to  set  up  their  lonely  habitation  in  the 


TIIK   IIOMK   OK   THE   EXPEDITION. 

'J  his  illustration  is  from  a  photograph  of  the  building,  taken  the  middle  of 
December,  when  the  frostwork  was  nearly  three  feet  thick  over  almost  the 
entire  structure. 


CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  BUILDING.        157 

newly  erected  depot.  The  depot  was  built  last 
summer,  and  occupies  a  site  of  the  same  elevation 
as  the  Tip-top  and  Summit  houses,  northeasterly  of 
those  structures,  upon  the  verge  of  the  little  plateau 
forming  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  The  build- 
ing, unlike  the  two  diminutive  public  houses, 
whose  sides  are  of  stone,  is  constructed  wholly  of 
wood.  It  is  sixty  feet  long  by  twenty-two  feet 
wide,  and  stands  nearly  north  and  south.  It  has 
eleven-feet  posts,  and  the  elevation  of  the  ridge-pole 
is  twenty-five  feet,  the  roof  being  of  the  same  form 
as  the  roofs  of  ordinary  buildings.  The  apartment 
inhabited  by  the  party  is  situated  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  this  edifice.  It  is  a  room  about  twenty 
feet  long,  eleven  feet  wide,  and  eight  feet  high. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  depot  forms  a  sort  of 
vestibule  to  this  room  and  is  wholly  inclosed  except 
at  the  easterly  end  of  the  northern  face,  where  the 
outer  door  is  situated.  The  little  room  was  formed 
in  the  following  manner :  1st,  there  was  the  thick 
plank  floor  of  the  depot  itself,  which  constituted  a 
good  foundation  to  build  upon  ;  2d,  a  course  of 
sheathing  paper  was  laid  over  the  original  floor ; 
3d,  an  additional  floor  of  close-fitting  boards  was 
then  laid  down  ;  4th,  two  thicknesses  of  sheathing 
paper  were  placed  on  the  top  of  the  second  floor  ; 
5th,  a  layer  of  carpet  lining  was  added ;  and  6th, 
a  thick  woolen  carpet  was  made  the  uppermost 


158  LIFE  ON  THE  SUMMIT. 

layer  of  all.  The  inside  of  the  outer  walls  was 
covered  first  with  tarred  paper,  then  with  boards, 
a  layer  of  sheathing  paper  was  added,  and  wall 
paper  was  spread  upon  this.  The  ceiling  is 
formed  of  two  thicknesses  of  boards  with  sheathing 
paper  between,  and  the  inner  Walls  consist  of  single 
thicknesses  of  boards,  sheathing  paper,  and  wall 
paper.  There  are  two  double  windows  —  or  rather 
half  windows  —  on  the  westerly  side  of  the  room, 
and  these  are  protected  by  strips  of  board  without. 
The  door  of  the  room  is  of  ordinary  size,  but  the 
outer  door  is  nothing  but  a  little  opening  two  feet 
square,  some  two  feet  from  the  floor.  After  the 
last  observation  is  taken  at  ten  o'clock  p.  M.,  the 
little  aperture  is  closed  by  means  of  two  sliding 
boards,  but  at  all  other  times  is  left  open.  Very 
little  additional  cold  finds  its  way  into  the  building 
through  this  aperture,  and  its  elevation  from  the 
floor  prevents  the  snow  from  blowing  in  to  any  great 
extent.  More  snow  finds  its  way  through  the 
crevices  between  the  boards  upon  the  sides  of  the 
building  than  through  this  hole.  Contrary  to  what 
ordinary  experience  would  seem  to  teach,  the  north 
side  of  the  building  is  less  exposed  to  the  fury  of 
the  elements  than  any  other. 

"We  have  thus  far  described  none  of  the  precau- 
tion taken  to  prevent  the  building  from  being  torn 
to  pieces  by  the  terrible  winter  tempests,  or  from 


HINTS  TO   YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPERS.      159 

being  blown  away  altogether.  The  frame-Avork  is 
of  the  strongest  possible  kind,  and  is  fitted  together 
in  the  best  manner.  The  sills  extend  beyond  the 
walls  eight  or  ten  feet,  and  every  means  are  taken 
to  fasten  the  whole  structure  down  to  its  rocky  base. 
Within,  bolts,  iron  rods,  and  wooden  braces  add 
strength  to  the  walls,  and  three  strong  iron  chains, 
securely  fastened  to  the  rocks,  pass  over  the  roof. 
Notwithstanding  all  these  provisions  the  building 
rocks  and  bends  before  a  furious  wind-storm  in  a 
manner  well  calculated  to  create  consternation  and 
dismay.  An  ordinary  house  would  stand  no  longer 
before  such  terrific  blasts  than  would  a  house  of 
cards  before  an  ordinary  wind.  The  great  gale  in 
December  awakened  the  fears  of  the  party  for  the 
safety  of  the  depot,  but  as  the  structure  stood  that 
frightful  assault  it  was  thought  no  further  danger 
on  that  score  need  be  apprehended.  It  was  never- 
theless thought  best  to  strengthen  the  walls  with 

O  O 

additional  braces  and  supports. 

"  Young  couples  about  to  enter  upon  the  respon- 
sibilities of  housekeeping  might  learn  some  useful 
hints  from  these  dwellers  of  the  clouds.  The  little 
snuggery  is  made  to  serve  not  only  as  a  kitchen, 
dining-room,  sleeping-room,  sitting-room,  parlor, 
library,  and  study,  but  also  as  an  observatory  and  tel- 
egraph office.  Every  inch  of  space  is  utilized. 
The  telegraph  instrument,  battery,  and  other  appur- 


160  LIFE  ON  THE  SUMMIT. 

tenances  of  lightning  communication  with  the  out- 
side world,  are  in  one  corner  of  the  cozy  apartment, 
beneath  one  of  the  windows.  At  the  same  end  of 
the  room  is  a  bedstead,  while  above  it  is  a  wide 
bunk,  arranged  after  the  manner  of  an  upper  berth 
in  a  steamboat.  The  most  prominent  objects  that 
greet  one  upon  entering  the  door  are  two  stoves, 
which  occupy  the  middle  of  the  floor.  One  is  an 
ordinary  cook-stove,  and  the  other  is  a  Magee  par- 
lor stove.  The  latter  is  prized  very  highly  on  ac- 
count of  its  marvelous  heating  properties.  A  story 
was  published  not  long  since  to  the  effect  that  it 
required  seven  dampers  to  regulate  the  draft,  and 
also  that  considerably  more  than  one  half  of  the  coal 
was  already  consumed.  Neither  of  these  statements 
are  true.  The  stoves  are  easily  enough  governed 
by  single  dampers,  and  as  for  fuel,  Mr.  Huntington 
has  enough  on  hand  to  last  until  next  summer. 
The  dining-table,  which  is  generally  covered  with 
books,  papers,  and  writing  materials  when  not  other- 
wise in  use,  occupies  one  corner  of  the  room,  while 
between  it  and  the  telegraph  instrument  is  a  well- 
filled  book-case  and  several  shelves.  Shelves,  in 
fact,  appear  everywhere,  and  they  contain  a  general 
assortment  of  everything,  while  clothing,  and  at 
least  an  hundred  articles  of  utility,  hang  suspended 
from  pegs  and  nails.  A  writing  tablet  is  hung  upon 
the  wall  near  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  upon  this 


VIEW   OF   INTERIOR   OF   THE  OBSERVATORY 


WALL  ORNAMENTS.  161 

the  observations  are  bulletined  until  they  can  be 
telegraphed,  copied  into  the  record  books,  or  placed 
in  the  blank  forms  provided  by  the  Smithsonian  In- 
stitution. Beside  it  are  two  barometers,  from  one 
of  which  observations  are  made,  and  further  on  is  a 
formidable  row  of  smoking  pipes.  Some  waggish 
member  of  the  party  has  hung  the  tin  sign  of  the 
old  telegraph  office  over  Sergeant  Smith's  seat,  and 
also  inscribed  something  of  similar  import  on  the 
door  without.  During  the  early  part  of  the  winter 
the  corner  of  the  room  now  occupied  in  part  by  the 
telegraph  was  used  by  Messrs.  Clough  and  Kimball 
as  a  '  dark  room '  in  their  photographic  operations. 
The  anemometer  —  the  curious  little  instrument 
for  measuring  the  velocity  of  the  wind  —  is  in  a  state 
of  quietude  on  a  shelf  over  the  table.  Beside  the 
book-case,  upon  a  projecting  beam,  is  a  coffee-mill, 
affording  a  striking  exhibition  of  the  combination  of 
the  scientific  and  practical.  Among  the  other  wall 
ornaments  are  a  pair  of  snow-shoes,  a  hand-saw  and 
other  mechanical  implements,  an  infinitude  of  tin 
dishes,  a  map  of  Paris  and  its  fortifications,  the  pho- 
tograph of  a  young  lady,  etc.  The  floor  is  made 
the  receptacle  of  numberless  articles  which  cannot 
be  put  anywhere  else.  There  seems  to  be,  in  short, 
'a  place  for  everything,'  but  it  not  always  hap- 
pens, I  believe,  that  everything  is  found  in  its  place. 

In   the   absence  of  the  female  element  of  a  well- 
11 


162  LIFE  ON  THE  SUMMIT. 

regulated  household,  the  scientific  gentlemen  con- 
tent themselves  with  following  out  one  half  of  the 
apothegm.  They  all  complain  that  it  is  the  easiest 
place  to  lose  anything  in  they  ever  saw.  In  justice, 
however,  it  should  be  said  that  the  apartment  in 
general  is  in  a  very  neat  and  tidy  -condition.  A 
rocking-chair  and  three  or  four  common  chairs  and 
stools,  together  with  the  table  and  beds,  comprise  all 
the  movable  furniture,  while  an  ingenious  member 
of  the  party  has  constructed  a  reclining  seat  upon 
one  of  the  wooden  braces.  Most  of  the  provisions 
are  kept  in  the  open  part  of  the  depot  without, — 
about  all,  in  fact,  that  freezing  does  not  affect. 
Frozen  pieces  of  fresh  meat  and  of  salt  pork  are 
suspended  from  the  roof  of  this  commodious  refrig- 
erator." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

JOURNAL. 

October  8th. 

STARTED  for  the  summit  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington with  Mr.  Cole  of  Berlin  Falls ; 
passed  the  Glen  House  at  4.30  p.  M. 
Stopped  just  above  the  first  mile-post  and  ate  our 
supper.  We  intended  to  camp,  but  it  was  so  mild 
and  pleasant  that  we  concluded  to  keep  on.  When 
near  the  Half-way  House  we  had  a  grand  view  of 
Mount  Adams.  How  high  it  seemed  as  it  lifted  its 
huge  form  up  into  the  night.  When  between  the 
fourth  and  fifth  mile-posts,  the  moon  just  on  the 
wane  rose  over  the  Carter  Range.  What  a  charm 
there  is  in  looking  out  upon  these  mountains,  when 
the  moon  throws  her  gentle  light  across  them. 
How  mysterious  those  deep  gorges  as  we  look 
down  into  their  depths,  or  rather  try  to  look,  for 
their  lowest  depths  are  veiled  in  impenetrable  dark- 
ness. The  ascent,  which  on  a  warm  day  in  sum- 
mer is  so  fatiguing,  now  seems  like  a  dream,  for  we 
scarcely  know  that  we  have  put  forth  any  effort  to 


164  JOURNAL. 

reach  the.  summit.  Found  Professor  Hitchcock, 
Mr.  Phelps,  and  two  men  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  It 
looks  rather  dreary  here,  no  room  finished  in  this 
immense  building;  they  were  trying  to  get  fire 
enough  to  serve  some  tea  for  supper,  but  I  think  we 
had  better  sleep  awhile,  perhaps  the  coal  will  get 
up  heat  enough  before  morning,  and  we  shall  have 
tea  instead  of  coffee  for  breakfast. 

October  10.  To-day  we  worked  fitting  up  our 
room.  We  put  in  double  windows,  laid  a  double 
floor  above  and  below  with  felt  between  the  boards. 
Around  the  room  we  put  felt,  then  boards,  and  on 
these  we  put  sheathing  paper;  on  the  floor  a  lined 
carpet.  We  then  put  our  two  stoves  in  place.  I 
think  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  warm.  Having  some 
calcined  plaster,  I  suggested  to  Cole  that  we  might 
have  hard  finish  overhead,  but  looking  up  to  the 
rough  joist  and  boards,  he  said  he  thought  it  was 
"  hard  finished  "  already. 

October  13.  How  clear  it  is  to-day ;  can  it  be 
that  what  I  see  is  something  real  ?  Are  those  cer- 
tainly hills,  mountains,  and  lakes,  and  can  that  bright 
line  be  the  ocean,  or  does  an  excited  imagination 
form  this  picture  in  the  mind  ?  It  is  clear  northward 
as  well,  and  I  recognize  many  places,  so  the  scene 
must  be  real ;  but  I  would  not  have  believed,  that  I 
could  see  with  such  distinctness  so  far  away. 

October  18.     Went  down  as  far  as  the  Gulf  House, 


A  LIVELY  TIME.  165 

and  returning  put  the  wire  of  Western  Union  Com- 
pany on  the  trestle  to  be  used  as  a  ground.  When 
we  reached  the  summit  it  was  raining,  and  the  wind 
was  blowing  fiercely.  Cole  lay  on  the  bed,  and 
covered  up  his  head  so  that  he  should  not  hear  the 
wind.  Going  out  I  saw  that  our  door  was  giving 
a  little,  and  thinking  it  might  possibly  blow  in  I 
told  him  I  thought  he  had  better  make  it  more  se- 
cure. He  went  out  and  put  on  additional  fasten- 
ings, but  in  half  an  hour  in  it  came.  The  boards 
and  planks  lying  about  in  the  building,  were 
thrown  in  every  direction.  I  never  saw  boards 
move  about  so  lively,  they  seemed  to  have  lost  their 
weight.  I  know  they  were  heavy  enough  the 
other  day,  when  I  put  them  in  the  building.  We 
tried  to  put  the  door  in  place,  but  with  all  our 
efforts  we  could  not  get  it  near  the  doorway ;  we 
found  ourselves  almost  powerless,  for  several  times 
we  were  thrown  down  as  though  we  had  no 
strength.  We  put  the  door  against  the  side  of  the 
building  and  tried  to  push  it  along,  but  when  about 
six  inches  of  it  became  exposed,  in  it  came  again. 
As  a  last  resort  we  nailed  a  piece  of  plank  on  the 
floor,  put  the  door  against  the  side  of  the  house, 
then  took  a  piece  of  scantling,  put  one  end  against 
the  plank,  the  other  against  the  centre  of  the  door. 
One  held  the  scantling  while  the  other  pushed 
the  door,  and  in  this  way  we  got  it  into  place  and 


166  JOURNAL. 

nailed  it  so  securely,  that  I  do  not  think  we  shall 
open  it  again  soon.  We  were  not  out  more  than 
half  the  time  I  have  been  writing  these  lines,  yet 
my  fingers  were  neai'ly  frozen. 

October  22.  There  is  a  little  snow  but  con- 
siderable frost-work  on  the  mountain.  Went  down 
to-day  and  took  up  the  bridges. 

November  12.  Started  from  Marshfield  at  seven 
A.  M.,  arrived  at  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington 
at  9.30.  It  rained  until  I  got  within  three  fourths 
of  a  mile  of  the  summit,  then  there  was  a  frozen 
mist.  The  snow  was  six  inches  deep  at  Marshfield, 
at  Waumbek  Junction  a  foot.  At  the  second  tank 
the  snow  was  drifted,  none  on  the  ties  above.  On 
the  summit  it  was  drifted  so  that  neither  at  the 
Summit  or  Tip-top  House  could  the  doors  be 
seen ;  there  was  very  little  about  the  depot.  I  am 
here  alone,  but  should  have  come  if  I  had  known 
that  I  had  to  stay  alone  all  winter. 

November  15.  Have  been  above  the  clouds  all 
day  long,  some  of  the  time  not  a  single  mountain 
top  could  be  seen,  occasionally  Mounts  Adams  and 
Jefferson  would  appear,  but  most  of  the  day  in 
every  direction  was  this  illimitable  sea  of  clouds. 
Being  here  alone,  one  has  nothing  to  do  but  to 
contemplate  this  immensity  of  space  bounded  only 
by  the  sky. 

November  24.      The  barometer  lower  this  morn- 


SOME  SMOKE.  167 

ing  than  it  has  been  before.  Wind  blowing 
fiercely  from  the  northwest,  not  steadily  but  in 
gusts.  The  house  creaks  in  every  joint.  It  is 
something  fearful  to  sit  here  alone  and  hear  the 
wind  howl  while  showers  of  ice  are  blown  against 
the  side  of  the  building  and  along  the  roof.  But 
there  was  something  still  more  to  be  dreaded.  In 
the  afternoon,  as  it  was  growing  cold  in  my  room,  I 
put  some  wood  in  the  large  stove,  thinking  I  would 
have  a  fire,  but  instead  of  the  smoke  going  up  the 
pipe,  it  all  came  out  in  the  room.  I  was  nearly 
suffocated,  but  the  smoke  cleared  away ;  then  the 
gas  began  to  come  out  of  the  other  stove.  If  the 
smoke  was  bad,  the  gas  was  still  worse.  All  the 
calamities  that  people  had  predicted  would  befall 
us,  stood  before  me  as  so  many  grim  demons  ready 
for  their  victim.  I  suspected  the  cause  :  the  frost- 
work had  formed  on  the  cap  over  the  pipe,  and  had 
left  on  the  opposite  side  a  place  for  the  smoke  to 
escape,  but  a  change  in  the  wind  was  driving  the 
gas  out  in  the  room.  I  could  not  go  upon  the  roof 
to  get  the  ice  off,  that  was  impossible.  I  tried  to 
unjoint  the  pipe,  but  it  was  put  up  to  withstand  the 
storms,  and  besides  on  account  of  the  rust  the  joints 
adhered  so  firmly  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  get 
them  apart.  Finally  it  came  off  near  the  stove, 
then  it  was  taken  off  joint  by  joint,  but  when  near 
the  roof  I  thrust  a  stick  up  the  pipe  and  knocked  off 


168  JOURNAL. 

the  frost.  The  pipe  was  replaced  and  the  fire 
burned  all  right.  I  think  I  shall  take  the  cap  off 
the  first  pleasant  day. 

November  30.  Clear  until  two  p.  M.,  when 
light  clouds  began  to  pass  over  the  mountain,  but 
became  dense  toward  night.  Was  surprised  by  the 
arrival  of  Clough,  Kimball,  Cheney,  and  Bracy. 
I  am  not  likely  to  be  alone  again  this  winter. 

December  4.     Sergeant  Smith  arrived  to  day. 

December  12.  Clough  and  Smith  went  down 
to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  as  they  returned 
they  found  that  the  wire  would  work  to  the  second 
tank,  but  could  get  no  current  on  the  summit.  In 
the  morning  the  wind  was  south,  but  changed  to 
northwest  in  the  afternoon.  At  ten  A.  M.  there 
was  a  bow  on  the  clouds,  and  at  twelve  p.  M.  there 
were  in  addition  three  supernumerary  bows  which 
remained  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  some  of  the 
time  they  were  remarkably  distinct.  Late  in  the 
afternoon  the  sky  was  intensely  blue. 

December  13.  The  telegraph  worked  to-day  for 
the  first  time  ;  now  we  are  in  the  world  again. 


TIP-TOP   HOUSE. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

JOURNAL  CONTINUED. 

December  21. 

OREFATHERS'  DAY  was  celebrated  by 
the  arrival  of  Prof.  Hitchcock,  L.  B.  New- 
ell, E.  Thompson,  F.  Woodbridge,  and  the 
writer.  We  ascended  in  a  rough  southwest  snow- 
storm, with  the  velocity  of  the  wind  at  59  miles 
per  hour.  It  is  pleasant  to  be  located  at  last  and 
settled  down  for  the  coming  six  months.  It  is  quite 
a  change  in  one  short  week  from  busy  Boston  to 
this  out-of-the-world-up-in-the-clouds  Observatory. 
In  the  face  of  a  gale  blowing  sixty  miles  per  hour, 
Messrs.  Kimball  and  Thompson  took  an  observation, 
— nothing  very  remarkable  in  itself,  —  but  as  it  was 
from  the  roof  of  the  Tip-top  House,  the  feat  is 
worthy  of  record.  They  were  out  but  five  minutes, 
yet  their  coats,  caps,  and  hair  were  covered  with 
frost,  and  Mr.  Thompson  had  slightly  frozen  a  fin- 
ger. Later  the  wind  had  fallen  to  thirty  miles, 
and  now  (eleven  p.  M.)  it  is  moderate  for  Mount 


170  JOURNAL 

Washington.  There  are  no  signs  of  animal  life 
outside.  Mice  are  plenty  in  the  house,  and  it  is 
thought  that  a  sable  has  taken  up  winter  quarters 
under  the  building. 

December  23.  Kimball  was  up  first  this  morn- 
ing, and  had  the  first  sight  of  as  beautiful  a  sunrise 
as  one  could  wish.  Unwilling  that  we  sleepy  fel- 
lows should  lose  it,  he  called  us  out.  All  were  on 
their  feet  instantly,  quickly  washed  and  dressed. 
The  wash-stand  is  a  discarded  butter-tub.  It  was 
a  cold  morning,  the  thermometer  indicating  0°, 
but  we  don't  feel  the  cold  as  sensibly  as  in  the 
lower  regions.  C.  and  K.  took  some  fine  views 

O 

to-day,  among  them  one  of  the  Observatory  with 
C.,  S.,  and  N.  standing  by  the  door.  Later  in  the 
day  they  took  one  from  the  roof  of  the  hotel. 
They  have  been  successful  against  odds,  having 
had  but  three  days  so  far  suitable  for  work  during 
a  month's  residence.  To  return  to  the  morning: 
after  breakfast  we  all  took  hold  of  the  forenoon's 
work.  Mr.  Woodbridge  and  myself  washed  the 
dishes,  the  others  clearing  the  room ;  for  though 
this  party  are  shut  out  from  society,  they  seem 
to  stick  to  the  ways  they  have  learned  "  down  in 
the  world,"  and  keep  house  in  the  most  approved 
style. 

December  24.  Yesterday  afternoon  and  late  at 
night  a  "  snow-bank  "  lay  along  the  south  ;  this  fore- 


CHRISTMAS  DAY.  171 

noon  snow  was  falling  with  a  temperature  of — 13°. 
At  times  during  the  day  the  wind  was  as  high  as 
seventy  miles  an  hour,  consequently  we  were  con- 
fined to  the  house.  Mr.  S.  has  much  to  do,  many 
messages  being  sent  to  and  from  the  "  lower  re- 
gions." He  sends  his  first  regular  report  to  Wash- 
ington to-night.  So  it  seems  that  the  government 
consider  this  station  of  importance,  if  the  public  do 
not.  In  working  this  line,  Mr.  S.  has  had  many 
obstacles  to  overcome ;  but  he  seems  to  be  deter- 
mined to  .have  it  work  all  right  ere  long.  Canned 
beef,  tomato  sauce,  coffee,  and  pilot  bread  consti- 
tuted our  dinner.  Find  no  vegetables  but  onions,  — 
bad  for  us.  It  is  cold  to-night  (now,  nine  p.  M., 
— 15°),  and  only  42°  in  the  room,  although  we 
have  two  fires.  Mr.  K.  received  a  telegram  from 
home  to-night.  We  sent  a  press  dispatch  of  "  A- 
merry  Christmas  to  all  the  world  below."  Christ- 
mas !  And  what  a  contrast  to  some  former  ones !  — 
in  situation  at  least.  But  I  would  not  exchange 
places  with  the  most  favored  of  fortune  this  night, 
nor  do  I  esteem  any  preceding  Christmas  Eve  above 
this  one.  A  jolly  party  we  are,  but  for  the  tele- 
graph shut  out  from  all  intercourse  with  mankind. 
The  wire  attached  to  the  sounder  on  the  little  table 
across  the  room  is  the  connecting  link  between  the 
"  outside  barbarians "  and  ourselves.  They  are 
doomed  to  read  (curiosity  if  not  interest  will  lead 


172  JOURNAL. 

them)  the  reports  from  Mount  Washington.  We 
have  a  saying  that  whatever  is  done  is  all  for  the 
"  Benefit  of  Commerce." 

December  25.  There  were  no  clouds  above  or 
around  the  summit.  Below,  and  but  a  little  lower 
than  this  peak,  the  clouds  were  dense  and  covered 
an  extensive  tract  of  country.  Through  the  less 
dense  portion  of  the  lighter  clouds,  the  sun's  rays 
gave  a  peculiar  rose-tint  extremely  beautiful  in 
effect.  This  was  my  first  cloud  view,  and  it  was  a 
treat  beyond  expectation.  About  ten  A.  M.,  Mr.  K. 
and  myself  went  out  for  an  observation.  We  had 
the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  formation  of  sev- 
eral coronas,  sometimes  single  but  oftener  three, 
even  on  one  occasion  four  distinct  circles,  ap- 
pearing and  disappearing  so  rapidly  that  it  was 
-impossible  to  more  than  catch  a  glimpse  of  form  and 
color.  It  was  a  phenomenon  of  rare  beauty.  Mr. 
K.  devoted  himself  to  the  task  of  getting  up  a  din- 
ner worthy  of  the  day.  His  efforts  were  entirely 
successful,  and  as  the  highest  compliment  we  could 
pay  him,  we  did  full  justice  to  the  repast  "  our 
Blot"  had  prepared.  The  bill  of  fare  embraced 
roast  lamb,  onions,  canned  peaches,  corn-starch 
pudding,  and  sauces.  It  was  not  a  bad  dinner  to 
sit  down  to  on  Mount  Washington  on  Christinas 
day  !  Mr.  S.  and  I  did  the  smoking  for  the  whole 
party ;  all  for  the  "  Benefit  of  Commerce."  S.. 


CLOUD  MASSES.  17  5 

K.,  and  N.  made  a  call  at  the  Tip-top  House,  but 
did  not  stay  long,  the  wind  was  too  severe.  Mr.  S. 
takes  our  four-footed  friends,  the  sable  and  mice, 
under  his  especial  care,  and  sees  that  they  get  all 
the  waste  food.  They  are  our  companions,  though 
we  see  them  but  seldom. 

January  10.  After  ten  A.  M.  the  summit  was 
free  from  clouds,  but  below  masses  of  clouds  were 
driven  along  the  valleys  and  over  the  lower  sum- 
mits, and  above  there  was  more  or  less  of  cirro- 
stratus.  The  clouds  about  and  over  gave  grand 
effects  of  light  and  shade  along  the  mountain 
ranges ;  they  were  particularly  fine  on  Adams  and 
Jefferson  and  near  the  Glen.  The  snow  is  nearly 
all  off  the  houses  and  the  rocks,  —  a  great  change 
in  three  days'  time.  I  cannot  let  the  day  pass 
without  a  mention  of  the  high  temperature  —  at 
one  p.  M.  it  was  37°.  Like  April  it  seemed,  but 
who  knows  what  it  will  be  to-morrow  ? 

January  14.  Last  night  we  saw  a  fine  aurora, 
broken  arches  with  streamers.  Never  before  was 
one  apparently  so  near ;  it  certainly  did  look  as 
though  it  was  within  reach.  The  driving  masses 
of  clouds  passing  between  it  and  us  made  the  view 
more  interesting,  as  they  filled  the  valley  between 
us  and  the  ridge  north,  nearly  at  our  level.  Some 
of  the  views  to-day  have  been  grand,  although  it 
has  been  more  or  less  cloudy.  The  lichen-covered 
rocks  look  splendid  this  warm  weather. 


174  JOURNAL. 

January  16.  Still  raining.  At  eleven  this  fore- 
noon Mr.  S.  started  out  on  a  voyage  of  discovery, 
but  it  rained  so  hard  and  the  walking  was  so  diffi- 
cult that  he  soon  came  back.  Didn't  stop  long 
however;  he  is  too  energetic  a  man  to  give  up 
easily ;  so  putting  on  an  overcoat  and  otherwise  pre- 
pared, he  once  more  went  out,  determined  to  find 
the  break  in  the  wire,  if  he  had  to  go  to  Littleton. 
Wished  him  good-luck,  not  expecting  to  see  him 
for  three  or  four  days,  and  he  was  off.  But  we 
soon  heard  the  click,  click,  click  of  the  instrument, 
and  then  we  knew  that  he  had  found  the  break. 
In  half  an  hour  he  returned ;  the  break  was  at  the 
Gulf  Tank.  Mr.  Huntington  went  down  to  the 
spring  to-day  and  brought  up  a  pail  of  water.  A 
week  ago  this  was  an  arctic  region,  now  it  is  more 
like  April  in  the  valleys  of  New  Hampshire. 

January  17.  The  wind  was  high  during  the  night, 
say  eighty  miles.  This  A.  M.  at  seven  o'clock  only 
seventy-five  !  —  strong  enough,  however,  to  compel 
Mr.  H.  to  sit  while  he  measured  the  force  of  the 
wind,  that  he  might  not  be  carried  over  into  Tucker- 
man's  Ravine.  A  trip  to  that  famous  locality  is 
pleasant  under  some  circumstances  —  on  a  fine 
summer  day,  for  instance,  —  but  not  so  agreeable 
on  the  wings  of  a  winter  gale.  Has  blown  stiffly 
all  day,  yet  we  have  taken  the  air  several  times  — 
pleasant  walks  in  the  face  of  a  fifty-mile  breeze. 


SEA   OF  CLOUDS.  175 

Perfectly  clear  at  sunset.  Had  one  of  the  best 
views  of  the  shadow  of  Mount  Washington  yet 
obtained.  The  mountains  far  and  near  look  dull 
and  gray  now,  since  the  rains. 

January  18.  I  have  seen  to-day  a  sea  of 
clouds.  It  is  a  rare,  a  grand,  a  magnificent  sight. 
At  ten  A.  M.  westward  from  a  line  due  north  and 
south,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  the  clouds  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  a  frozen  ocean.  The 
surface  level  and  motionless,  apparently,  but  really 
moving  eastward  and  only  a  little  below  the  sum- 
mit. In  no  direction  west  of  a  line  north  and 
south  was  there  a  glimpse  of  mountain  or  valley. 
Turning  to  the  east  the  contrast  was  striking,  for  in 
this  direction  there  was  scarcely  a  single  cloud,  and 
the  atmosphere  was  remarkably  clear.  Saco  Valley 
was  never  more  distinct,  while  the  range  comprising 
Clay,  Jefferson,  and  Adams  was  completely  hid- 
den, but  the  Carter  range  loomed  up  as  on  a  clear 
morning  when  not  a  single  cloud  can  be  seen,  and 
far  away  the  ocean  was  plainly  visible.  I  went  out 
south  to  a  point  of  rocks  and  stood  there  almost 
over  the  clouds.  Above  were  beautiful  forms  of 
cirrus  clouds,  very  high. 

January  19.  Mr.  H.  called  us  out  before  sun- 
rise to  see  the  beauty  of  the  morning ;  in  truth  it 
was  wicked  to  miss  such  a  glorious  view  as  we  had. 
Perfectly  clear  and  nearly  calm.  Never  before 


176  JOURNAL. 

have  I  seen  the  shadow  of  the  mountain  so  grand 
on  the  western  sky,  never  so  charming  the  purple 
tints  at  break  of  day.  Never  so  impressive  have 
been  the  shaded  outlines,  the  lights  and  shadows 
on  the  mountains  and  in  the  valleys  as  on  this 
memorable  morning.  Sunset  was  but  the  comple- 
ment of  the  morning,  and  the  evening  is  beautiful 
as  ever  night  can  be ;  the  stars  shine  with  a  light 
as-  soft  as  June,  —  all,  all,  is  beautiful.  Who  would 
not  live  on  Mount  Washington  ?  Who  would  not 
brave  danger,  endure  hardship,  and  the  loss  of 
social  ties  for  the  pleasure  of  these  clear  winter 
days  upon  the  mountain  summit  ?  H.  and  S.  took 
their  constitutional  in  the  shape  of  a  sled-ride  down 
toward  the  Glen,  about  a  mile  ride,  making  some 
of  the  way  2.40.  It  is  slightly  hazardous,  but  full 
of  fun  and  very  exciting. 

January  21.  Mr.  S.  started  early  for  the 
camp  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  but  met  with  a 
serious  accident,  badly  spraining  his  ankle  near 
Jacob's  Ladder,  so  that  he  had  to  return.  How 
fortunate  that  he  did  not  break  his  leg,  as  we 

o* 

should  have  known  nothing  of  it,  and  had  he  not 
been  able  to  crawl  to  the  camp  he  surely  must  have 
perished  !  We  should  not  have  been  alarmed  if  he 
had  not  returned,  for  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  the 
one  going  down  to  stay  over  night. 

January  22.     Having  a  gale   to-day,  and   not 


A  SEVERE   GALE.  177 

only  a  high  wind,  but  a  temperature  below  any- 
thing I  have  ever  experienced  before,  now  at  nine 
p.  M.  — 34°  inside  the  door.  The  wind  is  eighty 
miles,  blowing  steadily.  At  two  p.  M.  wind  seventy- 
two,  Professor  H.  measured  the  velocity.  He  had 
to  sit  with  a  line  around  him,  myself  at  the  other 
end  indoors,  as  an  anchor ;  even  then  it  was  almost 
impossible  for  him  to  keep  his  position.  Tempera- 
ture — 31°.  I  put  up  a  pendulum  this  morning  in 
our  room,  it  is  four  feet  long,  and  the  rod  passes 
through  a  sheet  of  card  board,  on  which  are  marked 
the  points  of  compass.  The  oscillations  when  the 
wind  blew  in  gusts  were  in  every  direction,  chang- 
ing suddenly,  and  sometimes  had  a  rotary  motion. 
When  the  wind  was  steady  the  oscillations  were 
northwest  and  southeast.  With  two  fires  the  room 
is  cold  to-night.  Had  a  long  talk  with  Littleton 
and  Concord,  all  anxious  to  know  how  cold  it  is 
here. 

January  23.  The  wind  raged  all  night.  The 
house  rocked  fearfully,  but  as  we  had  no  fear  of  a 
wreck,  it  did  not  disturb  us  much.  Sometimes  it 
would  seem  as  if  things  were  going  by  the  board, 
but  an  inspection  showed  everything  all  right.  It 
is  a  sublime  affair,  such  a  gale,  —  only  we  do  not 
care  to  have  it  repeated  too  often.  Nobody  was 
hurt  or  scared,  though  there  was  not  much  sleep 

for  our  party,  with  such  an  uproar  of  the  elements. 
12 


178  JOURNAL. 

Evidently  the  spirits  of  the  mountain  are  angry 
at  this  invasion  of  their  domain.  Toward  morn- 
ing the  wind  ceased,  and  all  day  it  has  been  nearly 
calm.  The  temperature  outside  — 43°.  Professor 
H.  and  myself  sat  up  all  night  to  keep  fires  going. 
The  pendulum  gave  oscillation  of  an  inch  and  a 
half  at  times  during  the  night.  Temperature  to- 
night ten  P.  M.  — 40° ;  a  changeable  climate  this. 

January  27.  Stormy  all  day,  wind  from  forty 
to  sixty-eight  miles  per  hour.  H.  measured  the 
force  of  the  wind  at  seven  p.  M.  How  he  stood 
up  against  it  is  hard  to  tell,  —  came  in  covered  with 
frost  and  snow.  To-night  we  had  some  fearful 
gusts,  the  house  creaked  in  every  joint,  and  the  ice 
was  thrown  against  the  side  of  the  building  in  ter- 
rific showers. 

Crash  went  a  pane  of  glass,  in  a  minute  another, 
and  then  a  third.  Lively  times  for  awhile,  but 
fortunately  the  windows  are  double,  and  the  inner 
ones  escaped.  We  fitted  some  boards  in  case  they 
should  be  needed,  but  soon  after  the  wind  moderated. 

January  30.  It  is  a  quiet,  mild,  clear  day. 
Clouds  beautiful,  bright,  and  fleecy,  floating  grace- 
fully past  the  summit.  At  four  p.  M.  one  dense 
cloud  stretched  from  Mount  Washington  to  the 
Green  Mountains. 

January  31.  The  most  glorious  sunrise  this 
winter.  To  the  east  was  a  sea  of  clouds,  somewhat 


FINE   VIEW  AT  SUNRISE.  179 

broken  and  much  lower  than  usual.  The  protrud- 
ing peaks  resembled  islands  more  than  ever  before. 
Over  Northern  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  and 
along  the  coast,  the  clouds  were  veiy  dense,  but 
their  upper  surface  as  the  sun  shone  across  them 
was  of  dazzling  brightness,  while  singular  forms  of 
cirrus  clouds  overcast  the  sky.  Low  in  the  west  it 
was  intensely  black,  and  detached  masses  of  clouds 
floated  along  the  northern  horizon.  For  an  hour 
after  sunrise  all  these  cloud  forms  were  constantly 
changing  in  color,  —  purple  and  crimson,  leaden 
hues  and  rose-tints,  almost  black  and  dazzling  white. 

February  1.  Clouds  on  the  summit  till  noon, 
then  it  suddenly  cleared  up.  Early  in  the  fore- 
noon the  wind  was  fully  fifty  miles  an  hour  ;  at  noon 
it  was  nearly  calm  and  till  nine  P.  M.,  not  above  20. 
At  nine  p.  M.  the  thermometer  indicated  — 16°.  Mr. 
Huntington  went  to  the  camp  for  mail,  this  morn- 
ing, and  returned  at  one  p.  M.  bringing  nothing. 
No  one  has  been  out  to  the  White  Mountain  House 
this  week.  Mr.  Smith  has  been  making  repairs  on 
the  line.  It  is  his  first  day  out  since  the  21st  ult. 
S.  has  sent  off  all  delayed  messages  this  evening. 

From  3.30  p.  M.  to  sunset  there  were  the  finest 
cloud  displays  possible.  Eastward  heavy  masses  of 
cloud  in  color  from  gray  to  an*  intense  black  ;  west, 
detached  cirro-stratus  presenting  every  shade  and 
color.  Along  the  northern  horizon  a  clear,  white 


180  JOURNAL. 

light  rested ;  the  west  was  burning  bright  in  crim- 
son, purple,  and  gold,  while  far  south,  fading  out 
toward  the  east  into  gray,  the  color  was  a  delicate 
rose-tint.  Below  to  the  west,  far  as  we  could  see, 
the  whole  country  was  covered  with  cloud.  The  icy 
peaks  glow  and  glisten  in  the  bright  sunlight.  The 
transitions  of  shades  and  tints,  the  colors  burning 
into  the  radiant  sunset,  surpassing  anything  we  have 
seen  yet  for  a  sunset  scene,  mark  this  as  a  day 
never  to  be  forgotten.  As  I  write  it  seems  like  a 
dream-picture. 

Thursday,  February  2,  10  P.  M.  This  has  been 
one  of  the  indifferent  days,  of  which  there  are  for- 
tunately few.  Just  now  it  looks  as  though  the 
night  would  prove  the  counterpart  of  the  day,  for 
it  is  "  blowing  great  guns."  All  day  the  wind  has 
been  light,  and  it  was  nearly  calm  this  evening 
till  half  an  hour  since,  when,  without  any  warning 
the  gale  began,  not  with  a  rising  wind,  but  a  single 
blast  that  shook  the  house  to  its  foundations.  I 
said  that  we  had  no  warning  of  its  approach,  we 
had  notice  of  it  in  the  falling  of  the  barometer. 

O 

A  moment  before  the  first  blast,  some  one  called 
attention  to  the  quiet  night,  remarking  that  the 
storm  would  not  probably  reach  us  before  morning, 
when  conversation  «vas  suddenly  interrupted  by 
the  uproar  of  the  elements.  We  had  a  hearty 
laugh  at  the  expense  of  the  party  who  predicted  a 


VELOCITY  OF  THE    WIND.  181 

pleasant  night.  Now,  eleven  o'clock,  the  wind  has 
risen  to  the  dignity  of  a  gale.  As  the  temperature 
is  — 20°  out-doors,  and  too  low  for  comfort  in  this 
room,  we  are  going  to  replenish  the  fires  and  retire 
to  our  more  comfortable  beds. 

A  wind  blowing  sixty  miles  an  hour  is  quite  as 
agreeable  as  these  calm,  cloudy  days,  when  if  one 
goes  out  there  is  nothing  to  see,  or,  if  from  choice 
remains  in-doors,  it  is  to  sit  in  the  twilight  gloom  of 
the  little  room.  In  cloudy  weather  we  frequently 
light  up  at  three  o'clock.  Think  I  had  better  toast 
my  half-frozen  feet  and  go  to  bed,  as  Professor  and 
S.  have  already  done. 

Friday,  February  3.  Well,  it  did  blow  last 
night,  making  some  of  the  time  such  a  racket  out- 
doors and  in-doors  too  for  that  matter,  that  sleep 
was  out  of  question.  Must  have  been  high  as  ninety 
during  several  of  the  heaviest  gusts.  For  a  change 
we  get  to-day  the  most  severe  snow-storm  of  the 
winter,  so  far.  The  wind  is  northwest,  the  point 
from  which  our  storms  and  hurricanes  come.  At 
no  time  has  the  temperature  been  higher  than  5°  ; 
it  was  — 25°  this  morning  at  seven  o'clock. 

O  9 

S.  and  myself  are  yet  on  the  sick-list,  so  all  the 
hard  work  falls  to  Professor  H.  To  add  to  the 
discomfort  of  our  situation  the  line  failed  last  night, 
just  after  S.  got  off  the  Press  despatch.  Cold  as 
it  is,  and  has  been  all  day,  Professor  H.  made  six 


182  JOURNAL. 

trips  down  the  railway  repairing  line.  His  method 
was  to  find  and  repair  a  break,  then  run  for  the 
house,  get  thoroughly  warmed  and  rested,  and  then 
out  for  another  attempt.  The  last  time  he  went 
to  the  Gulf,  below  there  he  did  not  dare  go.  So, 
as  there  is  at  least  one  more  splice  to  make,  far  as 
any  good  for  to-night  telegraphing  goes,  his  labors 
were  of  no  avail.  S.  and  I  have  taken  things  qui- 
etly, spending  the  day  in  reading. 

It  is  not  a  trifling  duty  for  a  day  like  this,  to 
keep  the  fires  going.  The  wind  has  not  been  high 
through  the  day,  but  is  now,  nine  o'clock,  rising. 
The  intense  cold  of  to-day  makes  our  little,  dark, 
rough-finished  room,  seem  a  very  cosy  place. 

Saturday,  February  4,  9  p.  M.  The  wind 
rising  toward  morning  has  held  its  own  all  day,  at 
no  time  being  below  seventy-five,  and  since  8.30 
acts  as  though  it  was  ambitious  to  attain  the  ninety 
mile  standard.  This  has  been  so  cold  a  day  that 
we  found  Dr.  Kane's  voyages  most  suitable  read- 
ing. At  seven  A.  M.  — 33°.  From  five  p.  M.  to 
this  last  observation  it  has  gradually  worked  down 
to  — 40°.  We  have  not  suffered  from  the  cold, 
simply  because  we  have  not  exposed  ourselves.  In 
the  room  at  no  time  has  the  temperature  been  lower 
than  35°,  and  most  of  the  time  we  have  managed  to 
keep  it  up  to  about  60°.  To  do  this  we  have  the 
stoves  at  a  red  heat ;  the  thermometer  hangs  pre- 


VERY  COLD.  183 

cisely  five  feet  from  the  stove ;  ten  feet  from  the 
stove  at  the  floor  to-day  the  temperature  was  only 
12°,  and  at  the  same  time  was  65°  in  other  parts 
of  the  room.  Of  course  the  quantity  of  coal  con- 
sumed is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  usual  daily  allow- 
ance. Did  we  use  wood  for  fuel  in  such  weather 
it  would  be  an  impossibility  to  keep  ourselves  com- 
fortable. 

Professor  H.  has  taken  the  anemometer  out  for 
a  three  minutes'  airing  at  the  several  regular  hours 
of  observation.  I  timed  him  the  last  hour.  I 
much  prefer  to  be  the  timer  in  a  wind  like  this, 
than  the  one  to  hold  the  anemometer.  Had  hard 
work  to  reach  the  house,  —  don't  think  he  will  care 
to  try  it  again  to-night.  Evidently  we  shall  catch 
it,  as  the  wind  is  steadily  rising  and  the  barometer 
falling  rapidly. 

The  cloud  was  dense  in  the  forenoon,  light  in 
the  evening  to  seven  o'clock,  and  now  there  is  no 
upper  current  of  cloud,  but  the  valleys  are  full. 
The  moon  never  shone  more  brightly.  But  what  a 
wind,  —  will  wait  till  morning  and  then  I  may  have 
something  to  say.  S.  is  watching  the  barometer 
and  reading.  Professor  reads  awhile,  then  takes  a 
look  out.  I  am  going  to  bed. 

Midnight.  Really,  there  is  quite  a  breeze  just 
now.  Some  of  the  gusts,  from  what  we  know  of 
the  measured  force,  must  be  fully  up  to  one  hun- 


184  JOURNAL. 

dred  miles  per  hour.  In  fact  it  is  a  first-class  hur- 
ricane. The  wind  is  northwest,  and  as  the  house  is 
broadside  to  it  the  full  force  is  felt.  At  times  it 
seems  as  though  everything  was  going  to  wreck. 

We  go  to  the  door  and  look  out,  —  it  is  the  most 
we  can  do ;  to  step  beyond,  with  nothing  for  a  hold- 
fast, one  would  take  passage  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind  in  the  direction  of  Tuckerman's  Ravine. 
However  unwillingly  one  might  go,  such  would  be 
the  result  if  he  should  venture  outside,  so  irresist- 
ible is  the  fury  of  wind. 

Find  that  I  froze  my  fingers  while  sawing  off  a 
piece  of  pork  for  our  "  Sunday  baked  beans  ;  "  was 
out  only  five  minutes.  It  was  like  cutting  into  a 
block  of  gypsum  to  saw  off  that  piece  of  pork. 
Wish  we  had  engaged  a  competent  "  cullared  pus- 
son  "  to  take  charge  of  the  culinary  department,  for 
none  of  us  are  first-class  cooks. 

What  varied  sounds  the  wind  has  as  it  changes : 
now  howling,  screeching,  roaring,  as  though  the 
building  was  surrounded  by  demoniac  spirits  bent 
upon  our  destruction.  We  shout  across  the  room 
to  be  heard.  Now  it  suddenly  lulls  and  moaning 
and  sighing  it  dies  away.  Then  quickly  gathering 
strength  it  blows  as  if  it  would  hurl  the  house  from 

o 

the  summit.  The  timbers  creak  and  groan  and  the 
windows  rattle ;  the  walls  bend  inward  ;  and  as 
the  wind  lets  go  its  hold  rebound  with  a  jerk  that 


THE  HOUSE  GROANS.  185 

starts  the  joints  again.  The  noise  is  like  rifle- 
firing  in  fifty  different  directions,  at  the  same 
moment ;  in  the  room,  —  a  moment  ago  close  by 
me  as  I  sat  here,  leaning  against  the  wall,  now 
in  the  outer  room  or  up  aloft,  and  outside  as  well. 
Then  there  is  the  trembling  and  groaning  of  the 
whole  building,  which  is  constant.  Everything 
movable  is  on  the  move.  Books  drop  from  the 
shelves,  we  pick  them  up,  replace  them  only  to  do 
it  again  and  again.  Professor  has  just  looked  at 
the  thermometer,  finds  the  temperature  lower  than 
at  last  observation,  is  now  — 40°.  Professor  and  S. 
are  taking  hourly  observations.  When  we  hear  an 
unusually  loud  report  in  the  outer  room  one  goes  to 
inspect,  —  nothing  has  given  away  yet.  I  am  going 
to  bed,  to  get  warm  if  not  to  steep. 

Sunday,  February  5.  From  one  to  two  A.  M. 
the  wind  was  higher  than  during  the  early  part  of 
the  night.  Some  of  the  gusts  must  have  been  above 
100,  possibly  110.  The  tempest  roared  and  thun- 
dered. It  had  precisely  the  sound  of  the  ocean 
waves  breaking  on  a  rocky  shore.  And  the  build- 
ing too  had  the  motion  of  a  ship  scudding  before  a 
gale.  At  three  A.  M.,  the  temperature  had  fallen  to 
— 59°  and  the  barometer  stood  at  22.810,  attached 
thermometer  62°.  Barometer  was  lowest  yester- 
day at  eight  A.  M.,  when  it  was  22.508,  and  at- 
tached thermometer  32°.  Now,  seven  A.  M.,  the 


186  JOURNAL. 

thermometer  indicates  — 25°.  and  the  wind  has 
fallen  to  70.  By  accident  the  spirit  thermometer 
has  not  yet  been  received.  But  this  has  been  the 
only  day  when  the  mercurial  instrument  has  not 
been  perfectly  reliable.  The  valleys  are  full  of 
stratus  clouds;  charged  with  frost  as  they  are,  occa- 
sionally sweeping  over  the  summit,  they  completely 
cover  one  in  a  moment,  hair,  beard,  and  clothing ; 
when  the  face  is  exposed  it  feels  like  the  touch  of  a 
hot  iron.  To  breathe  this  frosty  air  is  very  un- 
pleasant. A  full  inhalation  induces  a  severe  cough- 
ing fit.  Our  butter-tubs  stand  in  the  outer-room  ; 
this  morning  we  cut  a  piece  of  butter  for  breakfast, 
using  a  chisel  and  hammer !  —  it  was  like  cutting 
into  a  stone. 

Nine  A.  M.  Talked  over  the  events  of  the  past 
night  at  the  breakfast  table,  recalling  many  laugh- 
able incidents,  and  agreeing  that  we  rather  enjoyed 
the  night's  experience  than  otherwise,  that  it  was 
a  sublime  affair  (having  full  confidence  that  the 
house  would  stand,  the  storm  had  no  terrors  for  us)  ; 
but  all  things  considered,  were  unanimous  in  the 
opinion  that  once  a  fortnight  was  quite  often  enough 
for  such  grand  displays  of  the  storm-king's  power. 
Of  all  the  nights  since  this  party  came  here  the  last 
exceeds  every  one. 

Nine  p.  M.  It  has  been  a  rough  day ;  down  in 
the  world,  people  would  say  a  severe  one  ;  so  should 
we  but  for  the  recollection  of  last  night. 


MEASURING  THE   WIND. 

Sergeant  Smith  measuring  the  wind  when  the  velocity  was  88  miles  to  the 
hour.  The  sun  shone  brightly.  Mt.  Adams  is  the  prominent  snowy  peak  in 
the  distance. 


AGREEABLE   CHANGE.  187 

Our  coal-bin  is  under  two  feet  of  snow,  and  any- 
where in  that  room  the  snow  is  six  inches  deep. 

The  wind  is  falling  and  temperature  rising ;  it 
seems  as  though  we  should  get  a  good  night's  rest, 
—  no  one  will  object  in  the  least. 

Monday,  February  6.  The  highest  tempera- 
ture to-day,  12°,  and  the  lowest  now,  nine  p.  M.,  2°, 
is  a  very  acceptable  change.  Wind  50  in  fore- 
noon, now  20, —  is  good  as  a  calm.  It  is  clear,  and 
the  moonlight  is  that  of  the  mountain,  seen  only  at 
this  or  higher  elevations. 

They  have  put  the  line  in  order  to-day,  and  Pro- 
fessor sent  an  interesting  Press  despatch.  Wonder 
if  our  situation  excites  any  comment,  especially  as 
we  have  held  no  communication  with  the  lower 
world  for  three  days.  S.  has  cleared  off  his  Wash- 
ington reports,  —  a  dozen  of  them.  I  have  improved 
the  time  in  writing  letters.  Professor  set  some 
glass  this  afternoon,  out  doors  ;  —  the  wind  at  40 
and  thermometer  8°. 

Tuesday,  February  7.  A  glorious  sunrise ;  a 
quiet,  warm  day,  and  at  sunset  almost  equal  to  that 
of  the  1st  inst.  Temperature  at  two  p.  M.  62°  in 
the  sun.  Change  of  temperature  since  Sunday  of 
121°! 

This  afternoon  I  finished  the  work  of  setting 
glass  begun  by  Professor  yesterday  ;  worked  with- 
out gloves  and  was  warm  enough.  Heard  the 


188  JOURNAL. 

whistle  of  an  engine  on  the  Grand  Trunk  road ; 
seldom  the  sound  of  an  engine  whistle  reaches  us, 
or  any  sound  from  the  busy  world.  For  anything 
of  sight  or  sound  below,  we  might  as  well  be  living 
on  the  shore  of  Morton's  Polar  Sea. 

Professor  went  to  the  station  this  forenoon,  came 
back  at  two  p.  M.,  —  no  mail  for  us.  The  snow  is 
deep,  but  the  crust  is  hard,  so  he  made  an  easy  trip 
of  it.  S.  made  extensive  repairs  on  the  line  this 
forenoon ;  now  it  is  all  right  till  the  next  heavy 
gale.  It  is  working  better  than  ever  to-night. 

I  have  given  some  time  this  afternoon  to  the 
study  of  cloud  formations.  Days  like  this  are  so 
rare  that  we  improve  every  opportunity  for  investi- 
gation. Gales,  storms,  hurricanes,  all  clear  off  with 
a  north  wind,  —  a  wind  gentle  and  soft  as  the  south 
wind  of  the  lower  regions.  How  can  this  be  ex- 
plained? It  is  S.S.W.  to-night  and  two  miles  per 
hour,  a  marked  contrast  to  Sunday  morning  !  Mr. 
Holden,  "  Ranger  "  of  the  "  Boston  Journal,"  tele- 
graphs from  Littleton  that  we  may  look  for  him  to- 
morrow. Great  is  the  rejoicing  here,  for  a  visitor 
is  a  god-send,  and  none  more  welcome  than  Mr.  H. 

Wednesday,  February  8.  Ten  p.  M.  There  is 
evidently  a  snow-storm  along  the  coast,  the  north- 
ern edge  within  fifty  miles  of  us.  This  forenoon 
we  could  see  the  storm  as  it  moved  eastward. 
It  was  cloudy  and  clear  by  turns  on  the  sum- 


FRIENDS  ARRIVE.  189 

mits,  that  is,  the  lower  current  of  cloud  rested  at 
times  over  us.  The  valleys  east  were  full,  and  the 
upper  stratum  overcast  the  entire  country  far  as 
could  be  seen.  Wind  S.S.W.,  from  20  to  50. 
Temperature  from  14°  at  seven  A.  M.,  to  20°  at 
two  p.  M.  Interesting  to  watch  the  progress  of 
the  storm,  and  to  see  the  lower  current  of  cloud 
driven  by  an  easterly  wind  running  under  the 
higher  stratum  which,  of  course,  was  moving  to- 
ward the  northeast.  Lake  Winnipiseogee  showing 
dimly,  all  the  country  beyond  hidden  from  sight. 

Professor  left  immediately  after  breakfast  for 
the  station  —  Marshfield,  —  to  escort  our  expected 
guests,  Messrs.  Holden,  Cogswell,  and  our  whilom 
companion,  Clough.  S.  arid  I  busy  making  things 
"  ship-shape  "  around  the  house  ;  laid  in  a  supply 
of  ice,  enough  for  three  days'  consumption.  Are 
obliged  to  look  sharp  in  fair  weather  and  lay  in  an 
ample  stock  of  ice,  for  it  sometimes  happens  that 
we  cannot  replenish  for  several  days. 

At  noon  the  party  arrived ;  they  received  from 
us  a  right  hearty  welcome.  They  brought  a  large 
mail,  and  a  contribution  of  magazines  and  papers. 
Some  of  the  dailies  are  a  fortnight  old,  yet  we  read 
them  with  as  much  eagerness  as  we  do  the  evening 
paper  at  home. 

Ours  was  as  jolly  a  dinner-party  as  ever  met  at 
"  Young's  "  or  "  Parker's."  And  the  evening  has 


190  JOURNAL. 

passed  pleasantly;  we  had  something  to  tell  our 
friends  of  mountain  life,  and  they,  in  return,  had 
much  to  relate  of  events  occurring  since  we  left  the 
region  below  the  clouds. 

Arrangements  are  being  made  for  the  night ; 
our  accommodations  are  limited :  it  is  two  in  each 
bed  and  two  on  the  floor.  S.  and  I  sleep  on  the 
floor ;  as  we  are  used  to  roughing  it,  doubtless  we 
shall  sleep  soundly. 

Thursday^  February  9.  Nine  p.  M.  Cloudy 
all  day,  wind  moderate,  temperature  high  as  26°. 
The  cloud  on  the  mountain  so  dense  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  ten  rods  in  any  direction.  The 
frost-work  is  fine. 

Had  a  roast-turkey  dinner  with  all  the  side 
dishes  that  our  mountain  larder  could  supply.  I 
must  note  —  if  I  desire  to  be  considered  "  truthful 
James  "  —  that  our  roasted  bird  was  baked.  The 
united  verdict  was,  that  it  was  a  capitally  got  up 
meal.  Fun  and  good  humor  made  everything  pass 
agreeably,  and  we  did  not  miss  the  many  little  ac- 
cessories supposed  to  be  necessary  to  a  well-ordered 
table. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  have  company  in  this  out-of- 
the- world-place.  And-  I  sincerely  hope  that  we 
may  be  able  to  treat  our  friends  to  some  one  or 
more  of  the  Mount  Washington  novelties,  a  gor- 
geous sunrise  or  brilliant  sunset,  a  superior  show  of 


FEARS  FOR  SAFETY.  191 

frost-work,  or  failing  in  these,  something  in  the  line 
of  hurricanes.  It  is  a  pity  they  should  be  at  the 
trouble  of  making  the  ascent  at  this  inclement  sea- 
son and  not  take  back  something  of  the  experience 
which  falls  to  our  lot  daily,  something  to  endure 
or  enjoy,  as  the  case  may  be. 

The  line  has  been  down  to-day  between  Littleton 
and  Concord,  this  time  it  is  not  the  Mount  Wash- 
ington cable. 

The  papers  say  that  fears  were  entertained  for 
our  safety  during  the  time  the  line  was  down. 
Knowing  better  than  the  good  people  below  all 
about  the  matter,  we  had  not  the  least  anxiety. 

Friday,  February  10.  The  wind  high  all  day, 
88  at  two  P.  M.  ;  Holden  having  the  honor  of 
measuring  its  velocity  ;  Professor  timing  him.  H. 
acknowledges  perfect  satisfaction  as  regards  Mount 
Washington  winter  winds.  Now,  seven  P.  M.,  the 

O  7 

wind  is  rapidly  rising.  Been  cloudy  all  day  ;  a 
dense  cloud  on  the  summit  charged  with  frost. 

Have  done  very  little  writing  to-day,  any  of  us, 
but  we  find  the  time  passing  quickly  in  the  society 
of  our  visitors.  In  conversation,  our  party  most 
resembles  a  Debating  Club  doing  up  six  months' 
business  in  a  three  days'  session. 

12.30.  It  is  past  midnight  and  we  are  beginning 
to  talk  of  retiring.  About  eight  o'clock  the  wind 
had  worked  up  to  the  ninety  mile  rate,  and  then 


192  JOURNAL. 

commenced  a  furious  bombardment  of  ice  from  the 
summit  and  frost-work  from  off  the  house.  The 
house  shook  and  trembled  as  the  fiercer  blasts  beat 
against  it.  Pieces  of  ice  were  driven  between  the 
bars  protecting  the  windows,  and  at  last  by  one 
heavy  discharge  three  panes  were  broken.  As 
good  luck  would  have  it  the  broken  lights  were 
in  the  room  above.  The  roar  of  the  wind  as  it 
rushed  through  the  opening  was  enough  to  wake  a 
Rip  Van  Winkle. 

Professor,  Clough,  Smith,  and  myself  were  out  in 
a  moment,  and  after  having  the  "  hurricane  "  lan- 
tern blown  out  —  which  is  warranted  to  burn  the 
brighter  the  higher  the  wind,  —  and  twice  extin- 
guished, we  succeeded  in  nailing  boards  over  the 
aperture.  Still  the  bombardment  was  going  on 
for  an  hour,  but  no  more  glass  was  broken.  The 
supply  of  ammunition  was  exhausted  by  ten  o'clock, 
and  then,  though  the  wind  was  terrific,  we  did  not 
mind  the  gale. 

Professor,  Cogswell,  and  Clough  went  to  bed ; 
Clough  not  to  stay  there  long,  for  Holden,  Smith, 
and  myself  were  having  too  pleasant  a  time  chat- 
ting and  reading  around  the  table.  Only  when 
a  more  than  usually  heavy  gust  struck,  did  we 
pay  any  attention  to  what  was  going  on  outside. 
Half  an  hour  ago  we  made  coffee  and  partook  of  a 
lunch  ;  now  we  think  of  retiring.  The  line  failed 


A  RESPECTABLE  GALE.  193 

just  after  H.'s  "  Journal "  despatch  went.  One 
thing  sure,  —  our  friends  have  had  the  enjoyment  of 
a  very  respectable,  if  not  a  first-class  gale.  It  does 
not  seem  now  as  if  it  would  rise  to  the  rank  of  that 
of  December,  January,  or  the  one  of  last  week. 
The  temperature  at  nine  p.  M.  was  — 20°.  Hourly 
observations  to-day. 

And  now  we  are  going  to  bed  to  hear  the  wind 
blow,  if  not  to  sleep. 

February  11.  It  has  been  a  rough,  disagree- 
able day ;  a  dense  cloud  on  the  summit  till  late  in 
the  evening.  But  as  if  to  compensate  us  for  being 
shut  in  and  seeing  nothing  all  day,  there  has  been 
during  the  entire  evening  a  magnificent  aurora. 
Now  —  nine,  p.  M.  —  the  temperature  is  — 21°  ; 
not  above  zero  at  any  time  during  these  last 
twenty-four  hours. 

Clough  and  Smith  made  an  attempt  to  repair  the 
line  this  morning,  but  were  forced  to  give  in  before 
they  had  gone  far. 

We  had  for  pudding  on  our  table  this  noon,  the 
Christmas  gift  of  Mrs. .  Our  guests  pro- 
nounced it  excellent.  Following  a  griddle-cake 
breakfast,  this  is  truly  '•'  high  "  living.  Subsisting  in 
the  main,  as  we  do,  on  canned  beef,  hard-tack,  and 
coffee,  such  trifles  make  "  talk  "  in  this  household. 

Monday,  February  13.  Evening.  So  busy  in 
the  forenoon  yesterday,  writing  letters,  and  lastly, 

13 


194  JOURNAL. 

helping  the  party  in  their  preparations  for  the  de- 
scent, that  I  found  no  time  for  the  Journal.  In  the 
afternoon,  had  the  magazines  to  read. 

The  party  left  at  11.20.  S.  and  I  watched 
them  going  down  as  long  as  we  could  see  them,  and 
then  returned  to  the  house,  perhaps  a  little  envious  ; 
a  little  more  thoughtful,  more  silent  we  certainly 
were  than  usual,  though  this  is  not  the  first  time 
we  have  lived  by  ourselves.  Really,  these  few 
days  have  passed  most  agreeably. 

The  dinner  was  eaten  in  silence,  and  then  we 
read  till  ten  o'clock,  neither  feeling  in  a  mood  for 
conversation. 

Soon  after  the  party  had  gone,  a  snow-storm  set 
in.  It  had  been  cloudy  all  the  morning,  and  snow- 
ing to  six  A.  M.  There  is  a  foot  of  light  snow,  the 
largest  quantity  at  any  one  time  this  month. 

The  day  fine  with  little  wind,  and  a  temperature 
of  25°  in  the  sun  and  5°  in  shade  at  two  p.  M.  A 
nearly  clear  sky  above,  the  valleys  clouded  over  at 
sunrise.  The  clouds  in  the  morning  did  not  pre- 
sent any  remarkable  features  for  this  locality,  but 
from  three  to  half-past  four  p.  M.,  there  was  an  ex- 
tensive "  sea  of  clouds."  It  extended  from  a  point 
sixty  miles  north,  far  as  the  ocean  east,  bounded 
only  by  the  horizon.  This  summit  was  alone  above 
the  cloud.  It  was  to  the  eye  a  frozen  polar  ocean, 
here  and  there  a  lofty  mountain  of  ice  rising  from 


SHELTERED  BY  A  ROCK.  195 

the  apparent  dead  level  surface.  The  setting  sun, 
throwing  a  silvery  light  along  the  cloud,  dispelled 
the  illusion.  Perfectly  clear  overhead  all  day,  — * 
our  sunny  day  contrasts  strongly  with  the  cold, 
gloomy,  cloudy  one  below.  If  we  have  much  cloud 
here,  it  is  not  always  sunshine  there. 

There  is  a  cosy  spot  which  I  visited  to-day, 
five  minutes  walk  from  the  hotel  in  a  southerly 
direction.  It  is  a  large  boulder,  six  or  eight 
feet  high  and  as  many  wide,  forming  a  perfect 
wind-break.  Light  as  the  wind  was,  we  were 
chilled  through  while  on  the  summit,  but  under  the 
shelter  of  this  rock  it  was  warm  enough,  and  then 
the  outlook  is  one  of  the  best. 

The  evening  is  calm,  and  it  seems  strange  to 
have  so  quiet  a  night,  yet  the  change  is  appreciated 
by  us.  A  bright,  starlight  night.  We  have  been 
out  to  enjoy  its  beauty.  These  days  and  nights  like 
this  are  all  too  rare  to  lose  one  of  them.  The  tel- 
egrams are  sent.  S.  gets  one  from  Littleton, 
who  says,  "  cloudy  here  all  day."  Also  one  from 
the  Professor,  reporting  the  party  at  Littleton  this 
morning.  These,  to  us,  important  messages,  we  dis- 
cuss as  I  write,  and  "  guessing  "  as  to  the  weather 
for  to-morrow,  we  close  the  day's  labors  and  think 
of  retiring. 

Tuesday,  February  14.  Relieving,  in  a  large 
measure,  the  monotony  of  mountain  life  in  winter, 


196  JOURNAL. 

are  cloud  views.  To-day  we  had  in  early  morn- 
ing a  "  sea  of  clouds,"  and  later,  the  pleasure  of 
•watching  and  noting  the  progress  of  a  storm.  The 
under  current  below  the  level  of  the  summit,  as  it 
came  in  from  the  ocean,  and  its  advance  westerly  ; 
far  south  the  storm-cloud  moving  toward  the  north- 
east, snowing  over  Lake  Winnipiseogee  two  hours 
before  it  did  here,  was  a  sight  worth  seeing.  Some 
idea  of  the  grandeur  of  an  advancing  storm  may 
be  obtained  from  a  description  ;  but  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  it,  only  by  seeing  it.  Snowing  at  5.30 
p.  M.  Concord  and  Boston  report  "  snow."  S.  has 
had  a  long  talk  with  each  of  these  operators. 

Had  Hanover  to-night.  Professor  Hitchcock,  for 
the  Scientific  Association,  has  taken  by  telegraph, 
the  pulsations,  heart,  and  wrist,  of  the  "  members 
resident."  Wind  southwest,  not  above  fourteen  ; 
highest  temperature  18°  at  two  in  the  afternoon, 
and  7°  at  seven  in  the  evening.  Barometer  nearly 
stationary. 

Wednesday,  February  15.  The  storm  was  but 
for  the  night.  Clear  at  seven  in  the  mornino- ;  tern- 

o  o  y 

perature  5°,  and  wind  N.N.W.  Fine  ocean  view 
this  morning.  Northwest  wind  all  day,  rough  but 
not  cold.  Many  and  sudden  changes  of  tempera- 
ture, as  for  instance,  at  six  in  the  evening  13°,  and 
nine  o'clock,  20°.  Littleton  reports,  "  quite  warm  in 
L.  ;  "  we  wish  it  might  be  here.  Interesting  cloud 


SCIENTIFIC  DISPATCH.  197 

formations  which  I  record  elsewhere.  A  heavy 
cloud  lying  low  in  the  south  to-night. 

By  request  of  Professor  Hitchcock,  we  sent  a 
long  despatch  to  the  Dartmouth  Scientific  Asso- 
ciation this  evening.  S.  has  had  his  hands  full 
to-night,  sending  and  receiving  more  messages  than 
many  regular  offices  do  in  two  days. 

Repairing  the  line  to-day,  he  found  a  great  depth 
of  snow  a  mile  down  the  road. 

Thursday,  February  16.  A  storm  of  snow  and 
rain.  It  rains  here  with  the  thermometer  at  22°,  as 
it  did  to-day,  and  snows  with  it  at  30°,  as  might  be 
supposed.  Why  it  should  rain  at  22°  is  hard  to 
explain.  Wind  steady,  southwest  through  the  day, 
but  at  8.20  evening,  changed  suddenly  to  north- 
west, in  gusts,  sixty  to  eighty  miles  per  hour.  At 
nine  p.  M.,  still  snowing.  Forgot  to  mention  last 
night,  that  at  6.30  P.  M.,  I  read  from  the  "  Atlantic  " 
in  the  open  air.  Our  days  are  about  forty-six  min- 
utes longer  than  they  are  at  the  sea-level.  And 
this  reminds  me  of  the  gentleman  in  B.,  who  ex- 
pressed much  sympathy  for  us  on  account  of  the 
short  days  we  should  have,  half  an  hour  shorter,  he 
said.  I  accepted  his  expressions  of  commiseration 
without  trying  to  set  him  right  as  to  the  facts. 

Neither  S.  or  myself  have  written  at  all ;  read  an 
hour  or  two,  turned  post-laundress  for  an  hour, 
doing  my  own  washing  —  it  is  every  one  for  himself 


198  JOURNAL. 

in  this  institution,  — then  I  cut  S.'s  hair,  which  he 
could  not  well  do  for  himself,  and  so  went  the  day. 
But  would  not  our  friends  make  themselves  merry, 
especially  our  lady  friends,  to  see  us  get  a  dinner,  or 
at  the  wash-tub,  or  playing  the  part  of  a  tidy  house- 
keeper as  we  dust  the  parlor  furniture  and  mantel 
ornaments  !  Ours  is  a  queer  style  of  living  ;  if  we 
have  many  pleasures  which  others  know  nothing  of, 
there  are  some  deprivations  and  not  a  few  hard- 
ships to  offset  the  advantages.  We  shall  never 
forget  the  grand,  sublime,  and  beautiful  scenes  of 
this  place,  and  shall  remember  what  living  on 
Mount  Washington  in  winter  means.  It  will  have 
a  significance  for  us,  if  not  for  others.  Littleton 
sends  us  the  news  that  four  gentlemen  are  on  their 
way  to  Mount  Washington ;  does  not  say  who 
they  are. 

Friday,  February  17.  Blustering  weather,  that 
is,  only  rough  for  Mount  Washington,  but  would 
pass  for  a  gale  down  below. 

About  noon  the  expected  visitors  arrived.  They 
were  favored  in  having  the  wind  to  help  them,  as  a 
southwest  wind  is  the  worse,  one  having  to  face  it. 

O 

Northwest  to-day.  These  gentlemen  are  Messrs. 
Walter  and  Chas.  L.  Aiken,  Geo.  C.  Procter,  of 
Franklin,  New  Hampshire,  and  Michael  Mularvey, 
of  Marshfield,  New  Hampshire.  They  brought  us  a 
large  mail.  Stopped  to  dinner,  but  returned  to  M., 


VISITORS.  199 

instead  of  spending  the  night  here,  as  we  hoped 
they  would  do.  It  was  a  disappointment  to  us,  for 
\ve  had  counted  on  keeping  them  over  night. 

Done  nothing  but  write  a  few  letters  this  evening. 
It  is  calm  or  nearly  so  ;  calm  as  it  ever  is  here,  — 
never  is  quite  that.  The  line  is  down  somewhere. 
A  storm  is  brewing. 

Tuesday,  February  21.  Have  not  written  a 
line  for  three  days;  or  since  Saturday,  when  we 
had  a  tough  snow-storm  and  a  wind  all  day  that 
held  us  imprisoned  much  against  the  will  of  either, 
S.  because  the  line  was  clown,  and  I,  from  a  de- 
cided preference  to  out-door  life.  In  the  afternoon 
and  to  a  late  hour  in  the  evening  we  were  busy 
with  household  duties. 

Sunday  proved  clear  and  calm,  a  bright  sunny 
day,  yet  the  temperature  was  at  no  time  higher  than 
8°.  We  had  breakfast,  then  S.  went  out  to  repair 
breaks  in  the  cable  and  I  sat  down  to  my  writing. 
The  line  must  be  repaired  as  soon  as  possible  after  a 
break,  and  if  the  first  fair  day  is  Sunday,  as  it  hap- 
pens to  be  this  time,  it  becomes  proper  Sunday 
labor.  Then,  what  could  I  do  better  than  to  an- 
swer some  one  or  more  of  the  dozen  letters  await- 
ing replies  ? 

S.  said  when  he  left  that  he  should  not  go  far, 
and  should  be  in  by  one  p.  M.  Did  not  come,  but 
two  o'clock  did.  After  taking  the  usual  observations 


200  JOURNAL. 

I  went  down  the  railway.  Found  him  at  the  Gulf 
Tank.  He  had  been  hard  at  work  since  early  morn- 
ing ;  the  line  was  in  an  awful  condition  —  broken  in 
nearly  a  hundred  places. 

Last  Saturday  night's  gale  must  have  been  a 
hurricane  over  that  part  of  the  mountain.  Perhaps 
it  was  worse  here  than  we  imagined,  but  we  sleep 
so  soundly  even  in  the  heaviest  gales,  that  the  night 
might  have  been  one  of  the  most  tempestuous  and 
we  wholly  unconscious  of  the  raging  storm. 

It  was  my  first  long  walk  since  Christmas-week, 
after  which  date  I  was  confined  to  the  house  till 
within  a  few  days.  Weary  from  the  unwonted  ex- 
ercise, I  sat  awhile  seeing  him  at  work,  then  becom- 
ing chilled  I  slowly  made  my  way  home.  Found 
the  fires  down  and  the  house  cold.  S.  came  in 
soon  after  hungry  and  tired,  his  feet  half  frozen  and 
fingers  quite  so.  Tried  to  start  a  fire  in  the  cook- 
stove  till  our  patience  failed,  and  we  voted  ourselves 
a  cold  dinner.  Nor  was  it  until  bed-time  that  we 
had  raised  the  temperature  of  the  room  to  anything 
like  comfort.  Went  to  bed  early  —  past  ten  o'clock, 
for  S.  takes  an  observation  at  that  hour,  and  we 
always  sit  up  as  late  as  ten  p.  M.,  —  and  woke 
Monday  morning  to  find  it  cold  and  windy,  with  a 
dense  cloud  on  the  mountain. 

No  work  on  the  cable,  though  S.  made  one  at- 
tempt, contrary  to  my  advice,  and  was  driven  back 


CABLE  AGAIN  REPAIRED.       201 

after  going  a  short  distance,  —  came  in  covered  with 
snow  and  frost.  Writing  to-day  and  when  tired  of 
that  smoked.  The  room  has  been  warm,  but  it  is 
stinging  cold  outside.  A  fierce  snow-storm  all  day. 

This  Tuesday  morning  we  were  out  at  day- 
break. A  cold  morning,  temperature  at  seven  A. 
M. — 8°  ;  the  fires  troubled  us ;  had  a  cold  breakfast, 
a  warm  one  is  a  matter  of  the  highest  importance 
to  us. 

Then  S.  went  down  to  finish  repairs,  returning 
at  noon.  Got  off  all  delayed  telegrams  at  two 
p.  M.  He  has  labored  under  disadvantages,  but 
persistently,  for  ten  hours. 

Littleton  says  that  Hanover  has  inquired  for  us 
every  day. 

When  S.  left  this  morning  the  thermometer  read 
— 40  and  wind  20  ;  at  the  Gulf  Tank  it  was  so  warm 
he  had  to  lay  aside  overcoat  and  gloves, — no  wind 
there,  —  the  snow  was  melting  and  the  water  run- 
ning down  the  centre  rail ;  quite  a  contrast  to  the 
summit,  yet  only  one  mile  distant,  —  meteorologically 
speaking,  he  was  300  miles  south  of  his  mountain 
home,  though  in  sight  of  it. 

After  dinner  laid  in  a  large  lot  of  ice,  and  then 
we  had  some  cooking  to  do.  "  Housework  "  done, 
we  took  a  walk.  Fine  weather,  for  a  change. 
Beautiful  cloud-views  this  afternoon.  Light,  fleecy 
clouds  floating  over  Mount  Monroe,  dissolved  before, 


202  JOURNAL. 

reaching  Tuckerman's  Ravine.  They  passed  be- 
tween us  and  the  sun,  showing  the  prismatic  colors, 
then  as  they  rolled  eastward  gradually  faded  out 
and  changed  to  a  cold  gray.  The  transitions 
of  light  and  shade  were  inexpressibly  beautiful, 
enough  to  give  sensations  of  pleasure  to  the  dullest 
observer  and  drive  an  artist  crazy  with  delight. 

The  buildings  are  cased  in  ice  and  frost-work  of 
most  elegant  forms,  resembling  rocks,  flowers, 
leaves,  shells,  and  the  wings  of  birds.  Some  are  in 
Italian  marble,  others  in  alabaster.  In  another 
place  I  have  written  out  a  description  in  full. 

Wednesday,  February  22.  The  only  perfectly 
clear  day  this  month ;  cool,  the  mean  temperature 
being  but  1.7°.  These  clear  days,  and  if  nearly 
calm,  so  much  the  better,  are  the  chief  attractions, 
or  rather  among  them,  for  cloud-views  count  in  the 
list.  On  such  days  even  the  most  distant  mountain 
peaks  are  clearly  outlined.  Katahdin  is  to-day 
plainly  seen,  as  are  some  mountains  in  Canada  as 
distant.  The  view  is  not  often  good  in  a  southerly 
direction,  —  it  is  not  to-day.  The  mountains  be- 
longing to  this  group  show  grandly  in  the  bright 
sunlight. 

S.  has  been  working  on  the  line  and  I  have  spent 
the  day  in  writing.  In  such  weather  this  is  a 
pleasant  winter  residence. 

Anniversary  of  Washington's  birth-day,  and  we 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTH  DAY.  203 

had  not  thought  of  it  until  now  !  We  might  have 
raised  our  little  flag  in  honor  of  the  day  ;  it  would 
have  been  "  quite  the  thing." 

Thursday,  February  23.  A  nearly  clear  day 
here,  but  people  below  over  a  wide  extent  of  coun- 
try had  a  cloudy  one.  So  much  we  had  the  advan- 
tage over  them.  Highest  temperature  at  nine  p. 
M.  23°,  wind  westerly,  at  no  time  higher  that  45, 
barometer  23.90,  higher  than  for  many  days. 

Writing  for  Work  and  Play,  the  most  difficult 
writing  I  ever  tried  my  hand  at,  —  prefer  to  write 
for  adult  readers.  As  this  is  a  very  excellent 
location  for  observation,  one  may  fill  pages  daily 
with  notes,  but  it  is  the  worst  possible  place  to  work 
up  anything  fit  for  publication.  There  is  so  much 
to  see :  now  it  is  a  wonderful  cloud-view ;  then 
the  summit  is  covered  for  a  half  hour,  perhaps  ; 
next  the  sun  shines,  and  we  know  that  if  we  go  out 
some  new  revelation  awaits  us,  a  new  surprise  to 
distract  the  attention  from  the  work  in  hand. 

This  evening,  the  bright  starlight  tempted  me 
out.  I  did  not  propose  to  go  far  away  from  the 
buildings,  but  the  night  was  so  clear,  so  calm,  and 
the  stars  shone  with  such  brilliancy,  I  was  induced 
to  extend  my  walk  down  the  mountain  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  till  out  of  sight  of  home. 

If  any  person  is  curious  to  know  what  solitude 
means,  to  have  a  full  realization  of  the  term  let 


204  JOURNAL. 

that  one  come  here,  and  spend  a  half  hour  away 
from  sight  or  sound  of  the  busy  world,  —  make 
himself  believe  for  the  nonce  that  he  is  the  only 
one  human  being  on  the  mountain,  and  if  he  does 
not  confess  that  the  word  has  a  deeper  meaning  than 
ever  he  had  thought,  he  is  either  more  or  less  than 
human. 

Friday,  February  24.  A  dense  cloud  on  the 
mountain,  so  that  indoors  we  had  a  twilight  gloom 
disappearing  only  for  an  hour  in  the  afternoon.  The 
day  was  so  spring-like  that  we  did  not  stay  in  the 
house.  This  morning  I  went  down  the  railway  to 
look  after  the  line,  there  is  trouble  with  it  again. 
S.  came  down  soon  after,  overtaking  me  at  Lizzie 
Bourne's  monument. 

As  we  could  not  leave  the  house  unguarded,  he 
went  further  and  I  returned.  Where  he  left  me 
the  cloud  was  so  dense  that  it  was  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish any  object  a  short  distance  below.  Yet  he 
passed  out  of  the  cloud  into  fair  weather  only  a 
little  way  lower  down ;  at  the  Gulf  he  entered 
the  cloud  again  and  encountered  a  heavy  rain. 
Snow  is  melting  and  a  thousand  tiny  rills  are  mak- 
ing music  on  the  mountain. 

The  wind  southwest,  and  a  soft  April  wind  too. 
This  afternoon  we  had  to  go  no  farther  than  the 
Glen  stables  to  enjoy  the  warm  sunshine,  while  here 
it  was  chilly,  cloudy,  and  damp. 


WEATHER  VARIABLE.  205 

From  nine  A.  M.  to  three  p.  M.  the  temperature 
varied  but  a  degree  or  two  from  37°  ;  the  barome- 
ter steady. 

Saturday,  February  25.  Dull  and  gloomy,  for  a 
dense  cloud  rested  on  the  mountain  all  day.  Wind 
74  at  two  p.  M.  It  was  fair  at  Littleton.  In  a  day 
like  this  one  can  read  if  he  does  nothing  more. 

O 

Two  or  three  days  like  this  tend  to  make  us  think 
of  our  daily  life  as  being  in  the  least  possible  degree 
monotonous.  One  will  do,  but  more  become  unen- 
durable. 

Sunday,  February  26.  A  morning  perfect  as  a 
morning  of  winter  can  well  be.  Clouds  in  the  val- 
leys, the  ocean  visible  for  a  long  distance  up  and 
down  the  coast  and  far  out  to  sea.  About  nine  A.  M. 
a  heavy  cloud  commenced  to  move  inland,  one  por- 
tion of  it  moving  up  the  Saco  valley ;  its  progress 
was  so  slow  that  it  did  not  shut  the  Glen  House  in 
till  seven  P.  M.  Heavy  upper  current  southwest  and 
thick  in  the  south.  Wind  west  to  two  P.  M.,  then 
southwest  and  rising.  The  thermometer  indicated 
25°  at  two  P.  M. 

The  frost-work  made  last  night  has  more  the  form 
of  feathers  this  time.  If  the  snow  and  frost  of  the 
summit  was  as  uninteresting  as  that  of  the  low- 

O 

lands,  Mount  Washington  would  lose  one  of  its 
greatest  charms.  What  studies  for  an  artist  in  the 
various  forms  the  frost-work  presents  !  I  made  a  very 


206  JOURNAL. 

beautiful  model  for  a  vase  of  frost  leaves,  a  day  or 
two  ago,  simply  taking  four  leaves  of  equal  size, 
which  were  a  little  wider  at  the  extremity  than  the 
base,  and  slightly  concave.  A  more  exquisite  de- 
sign it  would  be  hard  to  find  in  Nature's  Book. 

O 

Monday,  February  27.  This  time  we  are 
favored  with  a  rain-storm,  pouring  when  it  was 
calm,  and  in  driving  sheets  after  the  wind  rose  to  the 
agreeable  rate  of  eighty-four  miles  per  hour.  At 
nine  A.  M.  it  changed  to  snow,  and  then  it  was  by 
turns,  rain  for  a  moment,  quickly  changing  to  snow 
and  suddenly  rain  again ;  but  the  snow  obtained  the 
mastery.  The  barometer  fluctuated  as  it  often 
does,  falling  in  the  afternoon. 

We  brought  water  from  the  spring  this  morning, 
the  first  since  some  time  in  January,  I  think.  The 
wind  was  not  so  high  as  later  in  the  day ;  it  was 
getting  water  under  difficulties,  however.  Shut  in 
all  day,  but  we  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  us  busy  ; 
so  although  a  disagreeable  day  the  time  did  not 
hang  heavy  on  our  hands. 

Hanover  telegraphs  the  welcome  news  of  "  Peace 
in  Europe,"  and  also  the  pleasing  intelligence  that 
Mr.  Huntington  is  on  his  way  to  Mount  Washing- 
ton. We  shall  ply  him  with  questions,  S.  says,  for 
we  are  wholly  ignorant  of  what  is  transpiring  out- 
side our  little  world.  Our  labors  are  limited  to  a 
few  things  done  over  and  over  day  after  day  ;  ob- 


LETTERS  FROM  FAR  AND  NEAR.         207 

servations  on  clouds,  winds,  and  storms  in  addition, 
which  last  vary  from  time  to  time ;  our  pleasures 
and  recreations  consist  almost  solely  in  walks 
around  the  narrow  bounds  of  the  summit,  and  in 
reading.  We  find  a  pleasure  in  correspondence, 
but  our  letters  are  one,  two,  three,  sometimes  four 
weeks  old  when  we  get  them.  I  lately  received  a 
letter  from  England  of  the  same  date  with  one  writ- 
ten less  than  two  hundred  miles  distant.  Professor 
H.  has  seen  the  world  since  we  have  and  most  as- 
suredly will  bring  a  full  budget  of  news. 

Tuesday,  February  28.  This  is  one  of  those  days 
which  make  us  contented  with  our  home.  It  cleared 
off  early  in  the  morning.  Wind  from  fifty  to  seventy 
miles  per  hour.  The  mean  temperature  for  this 
day  is  0  ;  this  cold  weather  combined  with  the  high 
wind  compelled  us  to  remain  in  the  house.  I  took 
the  time  for  writing  and  did  not  go  out  at  all  until 
four  P.  M.,  when  I  got  in  a  very  small  quantity  of 
ice  — the  wind  so  strong  that  I  lost  the  pail  once, 
and  my  foothold  a  dozen  times.  Not  troubled  by 
"  callers  "  to-day. 

The  frost-work  is  again  fine  and  the  house,  if 
not  a  marble  palace,  looks  like  a  building  fashioned 
from  purest  marble,  no  part  of  the  chains,  wooden 
braces,  nor  finish  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

JOURNAL    COMPLETED. 

March  1st. 

T  is  spring  at  last,  and  how  quickly  the 
winter  has  passed,  though  no  more  pleas- 
antly to  me  than  to  the  others.  I  had 
thought,  as  is  often  the  case  under  like  circumstan- 
ces, that  time  would  rather  drag.  Welcome  to  the 
spring  !  —  not  that  I  am  at  all  anxious  to  see  May 
1,  for  this  is  altogether  too  pleasant  living  here  to 
wish  to  have  time  pass  rapidly,  but  spring-time  is  ever 
welcome.  Even  Mount  Washington,  in  spring,  has 
its  own  peculiar  pleasure,  it  is  presumable,  as  has  the 
"  lower  world."  Snowing  all  day,  quite  a  furious 
storm  even  for  this  "  home  of  storms."  So  we 
write  to-day.  From  early  morning  to  three  in  the 
afternoon,  we  had  been  at  our  work,  when  just  as 
the  subject  of  dinner  was  up,  we  heard  voices  in  the 
outer  room.  It  proved  to  be  a  party  of  whom  we 
had  heard  by  telegraph  —  Mr.  K.  and  Mr.  Wilson, 
editor  of  the  "Philadelphia  Photographer,"  and  our 
friend  "  Mike."  They  had  a  hard  time  coming  up. 
They  brought  a  mail. 


VIEW  OF   THE  OCEAN.  209 

March  2.  All  were  out  early  to  witness  a  sun- 
rise of  rare  grandeur.  The  valleys  were  full  of 
clouds,  and  occasionally  there  would  a  cloud  pass 
over  us  driving  rapidly  over  into  the  ravine. 
Snowing  all  the  afternoon.  Our  visitors  left. 

March  3.  A  storm  seemed  to  be  brewing  last 
night  at  a  late  hour,  and  early  it  came,  —  a  heavy 
rain-storm.  Toward  noon  the  wind  rose,  and  at 
one  P.  M.  it  blew  ninety-six  miles  per  hour.  How 
the  wind  roared  in  the  flue  !  How  the  house 
shook  !  Had  to  shout  across  the  room  to  be  heard. 
It  was  grand,  however.  From  four  o'clock  the  wind 
abated.  At  six  p.  M.  S.  and  I  went  for  water  and 
got  wet  through,  —  night  calm. 

March  4.  A  fine  morning  and  warm.  Had  a 
fine  view  of  the  ocean  by  aid  of  a  telescope.  This 
glass  was  kindly  loaned  to  us  by  a  gentleman  in 
Boston,  made  by  R.  B.  Tolles,  and  is  a  splendid  one 
for  its  size.  Mr.  S.  went  out  to  make  some  repairs 
on  the  cable.  Our  fires  work  badly  to-day ;  no  draft, 
had  a  cold  dinner.  O,  the  trials  of  house-keeping  1 
Think  I  shall  board  in  future.  After  all,  house- 
work is  not  such  an  art  as  the  ladies  would  have 
us  masculines  believe.  Made  bread  to-night,  and 
now  —  eleven  p.  M.  —  am  waiting  for  the  beans  to 
boil. 

March  5.     Dense  clouds  on  the  mountain  in  the 

morning  but  clear  in  the  afternoon.    Looked  for  our 
14 


210  JOURNAL. 

mail,  thinking  that  some  of  our  friends  from  Marsh- 
field  would  be  up,  and  when  we  heard  voices  outside 
felt  sure  of  it.  Went  to  wait  on  them,  found  they 
were  from  the  Glen  House,  and  had  come  up  on  the 
carriage-road.  Had  two  dogs  with  them,  one  an  old 
but  fine  specimen  of  the  Newfoundland  race,  who 
in  his  younger  days  had  performed  the  responsible 
duties  of  a  mail-carrier  between  the  Glen  House 
and  Gorham,  a  distance  of  eight  miles ;  he  was 
completely  used  up.  Treated  both  men  and  dogs  to 
a  good  dinner,  and  they  started  back  at  four  P.  M. 

March  1th.  A  fair,  blustering  day.  As  we  ex- 
pected Professor  H.  we  waited  with  our  dinner 
till  three  P.  M.  ;  he  arrived  at  four  p.  M.,  and 
brought  Dr.  Rogers  and  Mr.  Nutter  of  Lancaster, 
N.  H.,  with  him.  Spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly 
reading  our  letters  and  papers. 

March  9.  Another  day  peculiar  to  Mount 
Washington.  All  day  the  clouds  have  been  driv- 
ing over  the  summit.  There  would  be  times 
when  it  was  perfectly  clear.  Wind  from  forty  to 
fifty  miles,  and  temperature  as  high  as  43°  in  the 
shade. 

March  11.  The  morning  was  so  fine  that  we 
felt  invited  out.  The  rocks  look  charming  in  their 
alpine-dress  of  beautiful,  pale  green,  moss  lichen. 
The  snow  is  nearly  all  gone.  We  were  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  discover  a  fine  bunch  of  Greenland 


PROGRESS  OF  A  STORM.  211 

sanchvort,  one  in  bloom.  I  took  up  some  of  each 
for  house-plants,  that  our  parlor  may  boast  its 
winter-garden. 

March  15.  Many  have  been  the  magnificent 
sunrises  this  winter,  none  more  so  than  that  of  this 
morning..  The  day  has  been  calm  and  nearly  clear, 
and  along  the  north  mountains  are  in  view  that 
are  not  often  seen,  and  some  never  before  this 
winter.  Heard  this  morning  the  astonishing  news 
that  New  Hampshire  has  gone  democratic. 

March  16.  Rainy  much  of  the  day  and  this 
evening.  Mr.  H.  and  Mr.  S.  out  repairing  the 
cable. 

March  23.  This  morning  there  was  a  thick 
stratum  of  clouds  eastward,  at  a  moderate  eleva- 
tion above  the  summit.  By  eight  A.  M.  it  was 
qnite  dense.  At  nine  A.  M.  snow-squalls  to  the 
northeast,  and  the  clouds  gradually  settling  in  the 
valleys ;  eleven  o'clock  thick  on  the  Carter  Range ; 
by  twelve,  clouds  all  about,  except  on  the  summit. 
By  two  P.  M.  the  mountain  was  in  the  clouds.  The 
formation  —  for  I  can  call  it  nothing  else  —  and 
progress  of  the  storm  was  very  interesting.  The 
clouds  were  at  a  higher  elevation  than  has  gener- 
ally been  the  case  ;  cirro-stratus  ;  color  gray  ;  uni- 
form in  density  nearly  over  the  entire  field  of  view. 
Thick  along  the  southeast,  east,  and  northeast  long 
before  it  shut  down  elsewhere.  Evidently  the 


212  JOURNAL. 

lower  current  of  wind  was  from  the  east,  while  the 
wind  on  the  summit  was  west-northwest.  It  was 
two  hours  from  the  time  the  Carter  Range  snut  in 

o 

before  the  summit  was  enveloped.  The  clouds 
poured  over  Mount  Adams,  and  later  over  the 
dividing  ridge  between  Mounts  Washington  and 
Clay.  They  seemed  to  curve,  as  they  passed  over 
these  mountain  tops,  as  though  the  upper  currents 
of  air  conformed  to  the  irregularities  of  surface. 
When  there  are  two  strata  of  clouds,  they  unite 
before  the  snow  or  rain  falls,  as  a  rule,  though  to- 
day snow  fell  an  hour  previous  to  the  clouds  set- 
tling on  the  mountain. 

~ 

March  31.  A  glorious  sunrise.  The  Glen  val- 
ley was  full  of  clouds,  and  further  east  heavy  masses 
of  clouds  covered  the  entire  country  as  far  as  we 
could  see.  In  other  directions  the  clouds  were  few. 
As  the  sun  shone  over  the  clouds  eastward,  the  dark 
heavy  masses  were  tipped  with  light  of  silver  bright- 
ness, while  the  borders  were  almost  black,  and  the 
sun  shone  brightly  on  the  protruding  mountain  tops, 
throwing  deep  purple  shadows  westward. 

Saturday,  April  1.  What  a  change  from  last 
night  to  this  morning ;  then,  at  nine  p.  M.  wind 
fifty,  temperature  3°  ;  with  every  prospect  for  a  cold 
day  to  follow.  The  wind  is  westerly.  Although 
it  is  not  above  forty-nine,  the  cracking  reports  of 
the  joints  of  the  frame  are  loud  enough  to  shake 


A   CHARMING  DAY.  213 

weak  nerves.  Really  they  are  startling,  more  so  in 
a  comparative  calm  than  when  the  wind  is  blowing 
a  gale. 

These  reports  are  never  frequent  in  steady  cold 
nor  settled  warm  weather.  They  occur  oftener  as 
a  cold  term  is  changing  to  warm,  and  vice  versa, 
due  in  the  one  case  to  the  expansion  and  in  the 
other  to  the  contraction  of  the  wood.  Last  evening 
one  was  so  heavy  as  to  shake  the  house  like  a  sud- 
den gust  in  a  storm. 

To-day  64°  in  the  sun  at  eleven  A.  M.,  after- 
wards cooler,  15°  at  nine  p.  M.  Thawing  all  day 
in  the  sun,  snow  going  rapidly.  Thick  along  the 
south  and  east  all  day.  A  northeast  wind  to-night, 
seldom  from  that  quarter.  Light  wind  all  day. 
These  are  the  days  calculated,  if  any  are,  to  make 
us  discontented,  they  so  remind  us  of  spring-time 
—  and  here  ? 

Clough  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  get  several 
fine  negatives.  S.  and  I  stood  for  figures  in  two, 
S.  pointing  to  the  icicles  on  the  roof. 

Monday,  April  3.  Another  charming  day.  Clough 
has  gone  to  Littleton  to  return  in  a  few  days.  S. 
and  I  baked  a  chicken  for  our  principal  dish  -on  this 
day's  dinner  bill  of  fare.  Too  fine  this  morning  to 
write,  such  a  day  is  too  rich  in  beautiful  scenery  to 
waste  time  in-doors.  Our  luxuries  are  few  :  in  our 
larder,  none ;  neither  are  there  any  in  parlor, 


214  JOURNAL. 

library,  or  bed-chamber  —  yes,  one  in  the  parlor, — 
a  cane-seat  rocking-chair.  No  true-born  Yankee 
would  think  of  housekeeping  without  one. 

But  beyond  the  confines  of  these  four  walls  we 
have  choice  tilings,  in  the  grand  scenery,  cloud 
painting,  sunrises  and  sunsets,  moonlight  such  as 
is  never  seen  but  on  mountain  peaks. 

After  dinner  we  went  to  the  Tip-top  House  ;  the 
view  was  magnificent.  A  soft  haze  over  the  whole 
expanse  of  country  far  as  we  could  see  north  and 
south,  east  and  west.  Such  is  the  atmosphere 
here,  that  although  the  thermometer  in  the  shade 
marked  27°,  I  wore  neither  hat  or  coat,  yet  was 
warm  enough.  So  fine  a  day  suppose  I  pull  on 
my  boots  and  run  down  to  Tuckerman's  Ravine  ? 
But  then  the  steeps  are  glare  ice,  and  it  would 
be  a  rather  hazardous  undertaking;  it  might  in- 
volve a  broken  leg  or  neck,  and  then  possibly  in 
either  case,  my  companions  would  deem  me  an 
incumbrance,  which  is  a  consideration  of  account. 
How  cozy ;  what  a  home-like  air  our  dark,  nar- 
row, meanly  furnished  .quarters  have  in  a  storm  or 
when  the  wind  blows  ninety  miles  an  hour  ;  but  in 
such  a  day  as  this  how  like  a  prison-cell  the  place 
looks  ! 

Tuesday,  April  4.  All  the  forenoon  till  one  p. 
M.  the  summit  was  in  a  dense  cloud.  Suddenly  it 
lifted  or  passed  off,  and  then  we  had  the  most  gor- 


THE  NEW  REPUBLIC.  215 

geous  display  of  cloud-scenes  we  have  yet  witnessed. 
Eastward  masses  of  cumuli  rested  over  the  valleys 
and  the  mountains.  Why  not  call  them  mountains 
of  cloud  ?  Certainly.  They  rose  far  above  our 
level,  six  thousand  or  perhaps  eight  thousand  feet 
higher  than  this  peak  !  They  conformed  to  the 
heights  over  which  they  lay  and  seemed  to  envelop 
other  mountains  neai'ly  as  lofty  as  their  upper  limits. 
The  illusion  was  perfect,  and  Mount  Washington, 
in  comparison,  was  a  diminutive  spur  or  outlying 
peak  of  this  great  mountain  range.  Without  ever 
having  seen  the  Alps  I  understood  them  better 
for  having  seen  these  cloud  mountains.  In  other 
directions  there  were  masses. 

The  sun  runs  high,  but  we  know  nothing  of 
spring.  Truly  it  is  more  like  winter  than  some  of 
the  time  in  March.  Then  there  was  no  snow,  now 
everywhere  there  is  snow  and  ice. 

Professor  raised  our  little  flag  the  other  day  on 
the  summit  for  the  benefit  of  some  friends  in  Lan- 
caster. He  has  no  design  of  establishing  an  inde- 
pendent government,  but  S.  and  I  have  quietly 
done  so,  and  this  banner  floating  from  the  top  of  the 
mountain  is  that  of  the  new  Republic  of  Washing- 
ton. We  are  getting  along  finely.  We  only  lack 
three  things  to  make  our  new  government  a  suc- 
cess :  a  national  debt,  internal  revenue,  and  two 
custom-houses,  one  on  the  carriage  road  and  the 
other  on  the  railway. 


216  JOURNAL, 

Wednesday^  April  5.  The  wind  blew  a  gale 
last  night,  —  had  just  gone  to  bed  when  it  com- 
menced. The  building  had  a  heavy  coating  of  ice 
on  the  east  side  and  tons  on  the  roof.  Soon  as  the 
wind  rose  the  ice  began  to  fall.  We  were  awake 
when  the  grand  crash  came,  at  first  a  few  pieces, 
then  with  a  roar  like  the  stormy  wind  half  of  the 
great  body  on  the  roof  started,  and  falling  made 
everything  tremble.  The  beds  shook  as  in  the 
hurricane  of  February.  If  we  had  not  known  the 
strength  of  the  building  —  and  severely  it  has  been 
tested,  —  we  might  have  thought  that  the  roof  had 
fallen  in.  It  was  startling  to  hear  the  roar  and 
crash,  and  there  was  not  for  a  while  much  disposi- 
tion to  sleep. 

All  day  there  has  been  a  furious  storm  of  snow 
—  at  one  time  wind  86  and  temperature  low  as  2°. 
Nine  p.  M.  wind  60,  and  clear. 

This  afternoon  we  were  surprised  by  the  arrival 
of  Messrs.  Clough  and  Cheney.  They  were  some- 
what frost-bitten,  ears,  fingers,  and  feet,  and  it  was 
doubtful,  for  a  half  hour,  how  badly.  But  now 
they  are  all  right,  though  their  hands  and  ears  are 
considerably  swollen.  It  is  the  toughest  storm  in 
which  any  party  has  made  the  ascent  this  winter. 

Professor  H.  pays  no  attention  to  the  state  of  the 
weather  in  making  his  many  journeys  up  and  down, 
but  he  has  never  had  a  day  quite  so  bad  as  this  ;  a 


TUCKERM'AN'S  RAVINE.  217 

day  like  this,  or  worse,  would  not  stop  him  if  he  had 
arranged  to  make  the  trip. 

Thursday,  April  6.  A  clear  sunrise  —  cold  ; 
only  3°,  the  wind  20,  and  the  morning  view  that  of 
December.  Though  clear,  the  sun  gave  little  heat, 
—  a  pale,  white,  rayless  light ;  the  sky  a  light  blue, 
and  so  clear  that  it  seemed  almost  as  though  we 
could  see  beyond  its  bounds,  or  through  it  into  the 
regions  of  space. 

/Sunday,  April  9.  After  a  bean  breakfast,  a 
party  of  four,  Messrs.  H.,  Andrews,  Cheney,  and 
myself,  went  to  Tuckerman's  Ravine.  Professor 
led  the  way  and  took  us  to  the  head  of  the 
ravine,  where  we  saw  the  snow  arch  that  is  to  be 
in  July,  but  now  quite  a  stream  poured  over  the 
cliff.  All  but  Professor  took  part  in  rolling  stones 
down  the  side  of  the  ravine.  We  followed  down 
the  ravine  on  the  north  side  to  a  bold  point  of  rocks, 
some  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  Standing  on  this, 
we  had  a  fine  view.  The  ravine  looks  much  more 
grand  than  it  does  from  the  side  opposite ;  and 
one  should  see  it  from  several  points  of  view  before 
describing  its  claims  to  admiration.  Hermit  Lake 
is  breaking  up,  and  we  could  see  through  the  trees 
the  tiny  stream  which  winds  through  the  ravine 
and  loses  itself  in  the  forests  below.  Down  the 
mountain  side,  a  thousand  little  rills,  feeders  of 
mighty  rivers,  make  sweet  music,  sweeter  to  my 


218  JOURNAL. 

ear  from  my  long  stay  where  there  is  only  ice  and 
snow.  Going  down  we  had  the  pleasure  of  a  little 
slide  on  the  snow,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  less,  long 
enough,  however.  Coming  up  we  had  to  climb,  of 
course.  At  noon,  Messrs.  Andrews,  Clough,  and 
Cheney  left  for  home. 

Wednesday,  April  12.  A  stormy  day,  snowing 
much  of  the  time,  and  the  wind  as  high  as  60. 
Frost  work  forming  again,  and  it  really  seems  much 
like  winter.  None  of  us  cared  to  go  far  to-day,  so 
I  got  a  pail  of  water  from  the  spring  near  the  house 
and  took  a  look  at  the  frost-work ;  that  is  all  the 
out-door  exercise  I  have  taken.  Now  we  shall 
have  a  plenty  as  long  as  we  stay  ;  we  get  it  from  a 
hole  among  the  rocks  and  it  is  of  excellent  quality. 
We  have  not  really  suffered  from  the  want  of  water 
at  any  time,  but  it  has  been  rather  rough  sometimes 
getting  ice. 

Saturday,  April  15.  The  rule  holds  good,  no  two 
days  alike  on  Mount  Washington.  Professor  called 
us  out  to  see  the  sunrise.  Over  Berlin  and  all  the 
country  in  that  direction  lay  the  most  beautiful 
cumuli  clouds.  The  shadow  of  Mount  Washington 
was  clearly  outlined  on  the  sky  far  above  the  hori- 
zon, and  we  might  imagine  for  the  last  three  days  — 
while  a  dense  cloud  has  covered  the  mountains  and 
hills  —  that  an  array  of  giants  had  been  at  work  cut- 
ting every  mountain  ridge  into  sharper  outline, 


SPLENDID   CLOUD  EFFECTS.  219 

for  they  never  before  seemed  to  stand  up  chiseled  so 
sharply.  Chocorua  seemed  miles  nearer  than  usual, 
resplendent  in  the  bright  sunlight.  Through  every 
rift  in  the  clouds  the  sides  of  the  chain  north  showed 
finely,  while  the  summits  were  a  blaze  of  light. 

The  Glen  and  shaded  sides  of  Carter  Range  were 
as  dark  as  night,  while  just  above  the  clouds  were 
gorgeous  with  the  play  of  colors*  Let  a  painter 
throw  as  much  light  into  a  mountain  view,  or  give 
such  tints  to  the  clouds,  and  shade  as  deeply  as 
nature  did  in  the  picture  she  gave  us  this  morning, 
and  everybody  would  say  "  exaggerated." 

Ten  hours  we  had  splendid  cloud  effects  in  every 
direction.  Cumuli  north,  in  every  form  beautiful 
and  fantastic,  and  colors  as  though  some  radiant 
angel  had  thrown  aside  his  robe  of  light. 

But  so  much  glory  could  not  last,  a  cloud  shut 
down,  and  we  were  snow-bound  and  cloud  envel- 
oped the  remainder  of  the  day. 

Wednesday,  April  19.  A  splendid  day;  have 
been  to  the  station  ;  a  rough  road  to  travel,  but  took 
the  day  for  the  trip.  Dined  at  the  lumber  camp, 
and  got  back  at  six  o'clock.  Took  down  mail  and 
brought  some  back,  though  little  for  myself.  Not 
in  luck  for  once,  —  can  stand  it  if  my  correspond- 
ents can. 

Wednesday,  April  26.  Professor  Hitchcock,  E. 
C.  Burbeck,  and  Alonzo  Hall  climbed  the  summit 


220  JOURNAL. 

to-day,  bringing  with  them  a  bouquet  of  scarlet 
geraniums  and  trailing  arbutus,  sent  by  a  friend  of 
the  Expedition. 

Thursday,  April  27.  Went  down  the  Crawford 
bridle-path  to  Mount  Monroe  ;  then  crossed  Bige- 
low's  lawn,  and  walked  to  Boott's  Spur — not  quite 
to  the  extreme  point.  Saw  a  few  birds ;  couldn't 
make  them  out  —  don't  know  if  they  cared  whether 
I  did  or  not ;  don't  know  as  they  had  any  curios- 
ity to  ascertain  who  or  what  I  was.  Too  much 
snow  to  find  how  the  plants  are  coming  on  this 
spring-like  weather.  Found  willows  at  the  head 
of  Tuckerman's  ravine,  showing  their  catkins  half 
opened.  Reached  the  summit  at  two  p.  M., — 
found  S.  down  sick ;  he  has  been  ill  since  Sun- 
day. Professor  Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Burbeck  came 
in  at  five  o'clock,  quite  tired  ;  had  been  to  Mount 
Adams.  Tough  snow-storm  to-night.  Fine  cloud 
effects  this  afternoon,  as  there  was  in  the  morning. 
Take  morning  views  on  hearsay,  as  I  did  not  rise 
till  breakfast-time.  The  others  rose  at  5.30.  I  had 
a  fearful  headache  last  night.  Enjoyed  my  lonely 
walk  to-day, —  monarch  of  all  I  surveyed.  It  seems 
odd  to  see  birds,  while  the  adjacent  peaks  and 
others  beyond  are  covered  with  snow,  and  to  feel 
that  it  is  really  spring  down  in  the  world.  Wind 
at  Boott's  Spur,  southeast,  thirty  miles  per  hour 
when  I  left;  here  same  direction,  eighteen  miles  per 


THAWING  AND  FREEZING.  221 

hour,  while  at  the  same  moment  on  their  way  from 
Mount  Adams  Messrs.  Hitchcock  and  Burbeck  en- 
countered the  wind  moving  at  the  rate  of  forty  or 
fifty  miles  per  hour. 

Friday i  April  28.  Cloudy  all  day  on  the  summit 
and  at  times  rainy.  At  four  P.  M.  started  down 
the  railroad  expecting  to  meet  Mr.  Huntington 
and  Mr.  Holden.  Went  as  far  as  Gulf  Tank; 
encountered  wind,  rain,  and  sleet ;  had  to  keep 
in  motion  or  freeze.  Came  back  at  6.15,  wet 
and  covered  with  ice.  Went  down  again  at  seven, 
sliding  most  of  the  way.  When  I  reached  the  Tank, 
the  clouds  passed  off,  but  the  storm  was  still  raging 
below ;  had  a  magnificent  view.  To  show  the 
changes  in  temperature  here,  in  a  few  feet  of  alti- 
tude, I  note  my  trips  down  to-day  and  up  as  well. 
Left  the  house  at  4.30  p.  M.,  wind  thirty  miles, 
at  the  Lizzie  Bourne  monument  forty,  at  the  Gulf 
House  ruins  and  below,  fully  sixty,  thus  reversing 
the  order  of  things  in  regard  to  wind.  Thermom- 
eter on  the  summit  28°  ;  frost-work  forming  some 
distance  below  the  Monument.  At  the  Gulf  Tank, 
when  the  sun  came  out,  as  it  did  several  times,  the 
ice  on  my  cap  would  thaw  completely ;  then  while 
the  cloud  was  passing,  icicles  two  inches  in  length 
would  form  on  the  visor.  It  was  difficult  to  walk  or 
even  stand  against  the  wind  below  the  Gulf  House 
ruins.  Returning,  the  wind  was  not  so  violent ;  rain 


222  JOURNAL. 

as  far  as  the  plateau,  where  they  collect  water  for  the 
engine  in  summer;  mist  on  the  summit,  with  tlier- 

O  *  * 

mometer  28°  at  6.50.  Went  down  again  at  seven 
p.  M.,  cloud  to  the  head  of  the  Gulf  and  thawing  as 
far  as  the  tank,  and  water  dropping  from  the  trestle. 
A  dead  calm  all  the  way.  Every  appearance  of  a 
rain-storm  in  the  valley,  probably  as  high  as  Waum- 
bek,  for  at  times  the  storm-cloud  came  up  to  the  very 
spot  where  I  stood.  The  two  H.'s  did  not  arrive, 
but  night  did,  and  I  came  back  to  the  summit,  quite 
well  satisfied  with  my  last  trip. 

Saturday,  April  29.  One  of  the  finest  mornings 
of  the  winter.  At  first  a  sea  of  clouds  east  and 
northeast,  later  also  on  the  west ;  at  seven  A.  M.  in 
every  direction. 

Professor  Hitchcock  and  myself  sat  on  the  roof 
of  the  Tip-top  House.  A  luminous  corona,  showing 
from  one  to  three  distinct  circles  with  the  prismatic 
colors,  was  thrown  upon  the  clouds  around  our 
shadows.  It  was  in  some  respects  like  the  spectre 
of  the  Brochen.  In  the  afternoon  the  clouds  cast 
their  shadows  on  the  mountains  and  over  the  val- 
leys ;  of  late  this  has  been  quite  common,  as  the 
cumuli  assume  summer  forms. 

Mr.  Burbeck  left  this  morning.  Mr.  Hun- 
tington,  L.  L.  Holden,  and  E.  Thompson  came  up. 
Mr.  H.  brought  us  all  the  late  magazines,  but  no 
letters.  Had  rain  at  depot  last  night  and  high 
wind. 


CORONA,   SEEN  APRIL  28. 

The  dark  cone  is  shadow  of  observer  with  glory  about  the  head.  Ahore 
the  foreground  is  the  slfadow  of  the  mountain,  while  the  large  circle  is  the 
colored  prism  or  Corona  resting  on  clouds,  and  partially  obscuring  the  two 
shadows. 


"MAY  MORNING."  223 

The  sable  was  out  this  morning,  but  did  not  stop 
long  to  show  himself.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen 
him.  S.  has  seen  two  ;  they  look  plump  and  hearty, 
as  though  Mount  Washington  was  a  healthy  cli- 
mate for  them. 

Sunday,  April  30.  Snowing  most  of  the  time  — 
not  a  gleam  of  sunshine  ;  four  inches  of  snow  has  fal- 
len. Sunday  passed  much  as  Sundays  do  down  in 
the  world  when  people  don't  go  to  church.  We 
have  had  the  past  month  more  clouds  than  sunshine, 
more  snow  than  rain  ;  light  winds  and  few  gales, 
the  clouds  often  dense  on  the  summit  when  clear 
below.  Now  only  on  the  higher  peaks,  in  the  deep 
ravines,  and  a  few  places  on  wooded  slopes  is  there 
snow. 

Monday,  May  1.  A  fine  sunrise  for  "  May  morn- 
ing." Clouds  all  about,  and  the  summit  was  en- 
veloped, but  here  it  was  thin  so  that  the  sunlight 
streaming  through  gave  the  morning  something  the 
aspect  of  the  sunrise  scene  of  March  1st,  only  that 
was  far  more  grand.  This  morning  a  sea  of  cloud 
covered  the  whole  extent  of  country,  north  and 
south,  east  and  west,  Mount  Washington  alone  ris- 
ing above  the  aerial  ocean.  Over  Mount  Adams 
the  cloud  was  higher  than  the  summit  of  Washing- 
ton ;  on  the  other  side  Tuckerman's  Ravine  looked 
twice  as  prominent  -as  usual,  and  like  the  deep, 
black  gulf  it  is,  when  clouds  overshadow  it.  The 


224  JOURNAL. 

lighter  clouds  passing  between  us  and  the  sun  threw 
a  twilight  gloom  over  all,  then  as  they  sailed  away 
down  the  valley  a  golden  flood  of  light  diffused 
itself  over  the  mountain  and  cloudy  sea  below. 
The  misty  clouds  above  were  constantly  changing 
from  gray  to  purple,  and  occasionally  crimson  tinged 
their  edges. 

Mr.  H.  and  Mr.  Holden  saw  from  the  sum- 
mit, westward,  a  corona,  similar  to  that  observed 
by  Professor  Hitchcock  and  myself  a  few  mornings 
since.  This  morning  there  was  the  shadow  of 
Mount  Washington  on  the  clouds.  It  is  a  pleasing 
spe'ctacle,  but  by  no  means  so  interesting  as  when 
the  mountain  is  shadowed  on  the  eastern  sky. 
Beautiful  frost-work  formed  last  night ;  even  the 
surface  of  the  snow  as  well  as  rocks  and  build- 
ings is  covered  with  it.  May-day,  and  still  it  is 
winter ;  every  aspect  is  that  of  midwinter.  The 
spring  near  the  Observatory  remains  frozen  solid, 
and  so  we  daily  melt  ice  for  use,  and  yet  down  the 
mountain  a  half  mile  there  is  seldom  a  day  when 
the  streams  are  not  running. 

About  one  p.  M.  the  clear  sky  disappeared  and 
clouds  prevailed  over  sunshine  the  rest  of  the  day, 
—  snowing  at  intervals  through  the  afternoon,  and 
quite  severely  in  the  evening. 

Prof.  Hitchcock  left  for  Hanover,  at  noon,  before 
the  storm  set  in.  Soon  after  he  went  a  man  from 


A   TRAMP  TO   THE  RAVINES.  225 

the  depot  came  up  with  a  message  to  transmit  to 
Franklin,  N.  H.  Good  for  the  Mount  Washington 
office,  that  people  should  come  to  this  far-away 
place  to  communicate  with  the  world !  Our  visitor 
reports  a  heavy  rain  at  Marshfield  yesterday. 

Tuesday,  May  2.  A  wintry  sunrise  scene,  then 
clouds  on  the  mountains,  passing  off  at  noon.  Tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  day,  Mr.  Holden  and  myself 
set  out  for  Tuckerman's.  Found  more  snow  than 
on  the  9th  ult.  Sunlight,  bright  and  warm  there, 
but  over  Washington  a  dense  cloud  most  of  the  after- 
noon. The  air  spring-like,  as  were  the  surround- 
ings ;  little  snow  except  at  the  head  of  the  Ravine, 
where  the  arch  will  be  looked  for  in  vain  next  sum- 
mer, unless  May  makes  up  for  the  short-comings  of 
winter.  Hermit  Lake  really  breaking  up,  and  the 
stream  <5pen  above.  We  could  see  the  pretty  cas- 
cade some  distance  above  the  lake  and  hear  the 
rushing  waters,  now  loudly,  as  the  wind  arose,  now 
softly  murmuring  as  it  fell.  Half  way  down  the 
northern  side,  under  a  sheltering  rock,  we  lunched 
on  hard-tack  and  sugar,  drinking  the  pure  water  of 
a  little  rill  which  ran  down  among  the  rocks.  Then 
for  an  hour  we  climbed  the  crags,  getting  views  from 
many  different  points.  Found  fine  specimens  of 
mosses  and  secured  a  few  specimens  of  insects,  two 
of  which  were  the  more  interesting,  as  they  were 
new  to  me.  Came  away  at  three  p.  M.,  too  early 

15 


226  JOURNAL. 

to  go  home,  so  decided  on  a  trip  to  the  northeastern 
spur  of  Washington.  Passed  a  deep  spring  of  ex- 
cellent water  which  in  my  jaunts  I  had  never  seen, 
then  visited  the  ravine  beyond,  —  our  first  visit. 
In  some  respects  this  is  even  more  interesting  than 
Tuckerman's,  for  what  is  lacking  in  extent  is  made 
up  in  the  boldness  of  outline,  its  steep,  sloping 
northern  side  and  sheer  precipice  of  two  hundred 
feet  or  more  on  the  south.  Seven  seconds  was  the 
time  taken,  by  repeated  trials,  for  a  stone  to  reach 
the  bottom.  Professor  says  that  it  bears  no  name. 
We  propose  that  Huntingtoris  Ravine  shall  be  its 
future  designation.  A  "  thousand  rills  "  run  down 
its  western  side — the  head, — joining  in  forming 
a  stream  below.  Away,  among  the  wood,  half  a 
mile  perhaps,  the  rushing  sound  of  a  cascade  was 
distinctly  heard.  Professor  says  that  it  is.  a  very 
beautiful  fall,  and  scarcely  ever  visited.  This  ravine 
is  worth  exploring. 

Went  to  the  extreme  point  of  the  spur,  —  Mount 
Washington  summit.  The  Glen  and  Great  Gulf 
are  all  well  seen  from  this  point.  Home  at  five  p. 
M.,  much  of  the  way  through  a  cloud,  satisfied  with 
our  rambles  on  the  mountain. 

Prof.  Hitchcock  telegraphs  his  arrival  at  Littleton. 

Temperature  at  seven  p.  M.  26°.  A  dense, 
black  cloud  lying  along  the  south  indicates  a  storm 
not  far  distant. 


BIRDS  IN  THE  HOUSE.  227 

Wednesday,  May  3.  Snowing  all  night  and  cloudy 
all  day,  —  a  dull,  quiet  day,  more  disagreeable  than 
the  fiercest  storm.  We  have  all  spoiled  much  good 
paper  to-day,  —  Professor,  Holden,  Thompson,  and 
myself.  Mr.  Smith  sick,  seems  no  better  ;  a  rough 
place  to  be  sick,  in  —  safe  from  the  doctors,  he  has 
that  comfort ! 

At  5.30  P.  M.  we  —  Professor  and  I  —  got  in  a 
supply  of  ice.  At  the  time,  the  cloud  was  so  dense 
that  from  the  Tip-top  House  the  Observatory  could 
not  be  seen ;  fifteen  minutes  later  the  cloud  passed  off 
and  there  was  a  most  magnificent  outlook.  Below, 
an  ocean  of  cloud,  calm  and  unruffled  as  an  inland 
lake ;  above,  but  quite  low,  the  upper  current  of 
storm-cloud  ;  far  away  north,  a  line  of  clear  sky  ; 
south,  heavy  masses  of  cloud  shutting  out  the  dis- 
tance. We  could  mark  the  line  of  a  storm  bearing 
down  upon  this  section,  a  grand  sight.  At  nine 
p.  M.  snowing. 

Thursday,  May  4.  Another  tough  snow-storm  ; 
we  enjoy  it ;  might  as  well  find  pleasure  in  it, 
for  endure  these  frequent  changes  we  must  if  not 
enjoy  them.  One  fine  day  is  full  compensation  for 
a  week  of  stormy  wintry  weather,  and  then,  what 
did  we  come  here  for  but  to  study  storms  ?  Wind 
got  up  to  48  and  temperature  down  to  21°. 

One  pair  of  birds  have  made  the  house  their 
home  of  late.  To-day  especially  they  have  hardly 


228  JOURNAL. 

been  out.  This  afternoon  they  have  sung  several 
songs  for  our  benefit.  They  are  quite  tame.  To- 
night they  sit  on  the  beam  over  this  room  close  by 
the  flue,  and  we  can  occasionally  hear  them  twitter, 
softly  calling  to  each  other. 

Prof.  Hitchcock  reports  by  telegraph,  rain  at 
Hanover  all  day.  Now,  ten  p.  M.,  the  storm  is 
increasing  in  fury  and  really  might  almost  rank 
with  those  of  last  December. 

Professor  and  Mr.  H.  were  out  this  morning 
at  4.30  ;  had  a  rare  sunrise  to  repay  them  for  ris- 
ing at  so  unseasonable  an  hour  ;  the  rest  of  us  pre- 
ferred our  morning  nap,  so  we  only  had  the  storm, 
for  the  cloud  shut  down  at  six  o'clock. 

Friday,  May  5.  The  storm- — snowing  in  such 
a  wintry  way  last  night  —  turned  to  rain  toward 
morning  and  has  been  rainy  all  day.  About  seven 
p.  M.  the  cloud  lifted,  settled,  or  dissipated,  —  cannot 
say  which  as  I  was  not  out  at  the  time.  Then  we 
had  a  grand  sea  of  cloud  —  a  display  we  never  tire 
of,  —  north  and  west  far  as  the  horizon,  south  for 
nearly  an  hundred  miles,  and  east  quite  to  central 
Maine.  Excepting  Lafayette  and  Adams,  and  a  bit 
of  the  Saco  valley,  the  whole  country  was  befogged. 
The  upper  strata  of  clouds  were  mixed  in  the  most 
confused  manner;  it  would  have  puzzled  Espy  to 
have  given  them  names,  and  for  that  matter  names 
were  of  little  consequence,  for  the  coloring  was 


A  SEA   OF  CLOUDS.  229 

that  which  gave  them  the  greatest  interest  in  our 
eyes.  I  did,  however,  write  out  in  its  proper 
place  a  dry  description ;  the  colors  and  shades 
ran  through  the  list  ;  such  changes,  such  inter- 
mingling of  colors,  the  brilliancy,  the  delicacy, 
was  beyond  belief.  The  time  7.30.  Then  there 
was  repeated,  on  the  dull,  cold,  gray  clouds  below, 
the  changing  hues  of  the  higher  clouds,  from  a 
pearly  whiteness  to  rose,  fading  out  to  gray,  not 
once^  but  several  times,  the  last  lingering  beams 
slowly  dying  away  into  the  blackness  of  night. 
As  late  as  eight  o'clock,  after  the  stars  could  be 
seen  in  the  east,  the  lower  clouds  retained  some 
color. 

The  wind  was  west  here,  not  higher  than  five, 
yet  in  the  valleys  it  must  have  been  much  stronger, 
judging  by  the  velocity  of  the  clouds  ;  besides  we 
could  hear  distinctly  its  almost  roar.  While  west 
the  clouds  had  a  rapid  movement,  over  Ellis  River 
they  were  stationary. 

S.  has  been  ill  to-day.  T.'s  lame  foot  is  better, 
and  everything  in  our  little  world  has  moved  in 
the  usual  regular  course.  To-morrow,  if  fair,  some 
of  us  go  to  Mount  Adams.  The  mountains  are 
covered  with  snow.  Surely,  it  cannot  yet  be 
spring ! 

Saturday,  May  6.  Mr.  Holden  and  myself 
have  made  that  long  contemplated  trip  to  Mount 


230  JOURNAL. 

Adams.  Just  what  object  we  had  in  going  I  can- 
not say,  neither  can  he  tell,  for  when  I  put  the 
question  to  him  as  we  were  toiling  up  one  of  the 
ngly  steeps  of  Mount  Jefferson  on  our  homeward 
way,  he  said  —  nothing.  So  I  am  confident  that 
he  had  nothing  to  say. 

This  is  the  only  explanation  I  can  give,  as  I  sit 
here  to-night,  foot-sore,  wet,  and  weary,  with  the 
day's  tramp  fresh  in  mind :  Mount  Adams,  in  the 
majestic  style  he  has  been  wearing  for  the  past 
week,  while  we  have  made  our  minor  tours  around 
the  ravines  of  this  mountain,  seemed  to  defy  us  ; 
and  so  without  unnecessary  delay  we  were  deter- 
mined to  dine  or  lunch  the  first  fair  day  on  Mount 
Adams.  Then,  Prof.  Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Burbeck 
had  paid  the  old  fellow  a  visit,  —  the  first  persons, 
probably,  who  ever  made  the  trip  in  April,  and  if 
they  were  the  first  visitors  of  this  season,  there 
was  no  reason  why  we  should  not  be  the  second 
party. 

This  morning  was  one  of  the  best  for  the  in- 
tended journey,  —  clear,  calm,  and  warm.  The 
thermometer  at  eight  o'clock  indicated  85°  in  the 
sun,  —  warmest  morning  this  spring.  Though  clear 
above,  the  valleys  were  full  of  cloud ;  we  did  not 
fear  to  be  clouded  in,  as  we  had  a  compass.  Filling 
our  pockets  with  hard-tack  and  taking  a  canteen 
for  water,  at  about  nine  o'clock  we  started.  The 


MOUNT  ADAMS.  231 

wind  was  northwest  here  ;  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Clay  it  was  east  and  chilling.  So  far  the  walking 
was  excellent,  the  snow  hard  as  ice.  There  we 
stood,  on  the  level  of  the  clouds  to  the  west  and 
above  those  east.  Skirting  along  the  east  side  of 
the  first  peak  of  Clay  we  made  slow  progress. 
While  resting,  the  clouds  settled  in  the  Gulf,  and 
we  had  a  good  point  from  which  to  get  a  clear  idea 
of  the  immensity  of  the  mountain  —  Washington,  — 
and  of  the -depth  and  breadth  of  the  Gulf.  As  the 
distance  is  short,  visitors  ascending  the  mountain 
might  find  themselves  well  repaid  if  they  would 
not  only  view  the  Gulf  from  the  head,  which  is 
a  very  advantageous  position,  but  also  from  Mount 
Adams,  —  so  we  agreed  as  we  sat  there.  Going 
to  the  highest  point  of  the  dividing  ridge  of  Clay 
and  Jefferson,  we  could  hear  on  the  one  side  the 
rushing,  roaring  sound  of  the  falls  in  the  Gulf  and 
the  smoother  flow  of  Jefferson  brook  on  the  other. 
We  could  see  nothing,  as  all  below  was  covered  by 
clouds. 

In  places  the  mountain  side  was  free  from  snow,  in 
others  the  snow  was  many  feet  deep.  On  the  more 
level  places  it  was  thawing,  and  before  we  reached 
the  base  of  Jefferson  our  boots  were  thoroughly 
soaked.  Climbing  Jefferson  we  rested,  and  while  so 
doing  amused  ourselves  in  building  our  monument 
in  case  we  should  perish  on  the  way.  At  the  sum- 


232  JOURNAL. 

mit  we  found  the  wind  to  be  northwest,  as  we  after- 
wards found  it  on  Mount  Adams,  while  both  going 
over  and  returning  it  was  easterly  at  lower  levels. 

There  we  saw  that  Lafayette  was  under  a  cloud, 
and  that  on  the  west  the  great  body  of  cloud  had 
risen  nearly  to  the  summit  of  Washington.  I  have 
been  here  long  enough  to  learn  that  when  Wash- 
ington is  enveloped,  it  means  a  cloudy  day  for 
Mount  Adams.  While  debating  whether  to  go  on 
or  give  up  the  trip,  a  dense  and  extended  body  of 
cloud  passed  between  us  and  Adams,  and  this  de- 
cided us  to  push  on.  Down  the  steep  eastern 
side  of  Jeiferson  in  sunshine  is  bad  enough,  in  the 
twilight  gloom  of  a  dense,  damp  cloud,  that  wets 
one  as  though  he  had  been  immersed  in  an  ice 
chilled  bath,  it  is  anything  but  agreeable.  But 
the  cloud  passing,  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  reach 
the  head  of  the  ravine  between  Jefferson  and 
Adams  just  in  time  to  get  a  good  view  of  its  huge 
dimensions.  There  we  could  almost  see,  under  the 
cloud,  the  forest  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  Again 
the  cloud  shut  in  and  we  went  on. 

And  now  our  tramp  was  over  the  dwarf  trees  — 
we  took  the  south  side  of  the  ridge  —  and  through 
the  snow,  sometimes  waist-deep,  always  over  our 
boot-tops.  Coming  out  of  the  cloud  once  more,  and 
for  the  last  time,  we  saw  the  lofty  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  then  far  above  the  clouds,  and  we 


IMMENSITY  OF  WASHINGTON.  233 

heard  the  cheers  of  our  comrades  at  the  Observa- 
tory. We  could  hardly  credit  our  ears}  for  it  is 
nearly  or  quite  three  and  a  half  miles  in  an  air  line 
from  point  to  point.  But  the  successive  cheers 
came  to  us  so  clearly  that  we  could  doubt  no  longer, 
and  then  we  sent  back  an  answering  shout.  How 
hot  it  was  under  the  shelter  of  the  mountain-side  ! 
not  a  puff  of  wind,  but  plenty  of  ice-cold  water,  and 
of  that  we  drank  freely.  Adams  seemed  miles  away, 
and  the  harder  we  toiled  the  less  near  seemed  the 
goal.  Half  a  mile  of  this  weary  work  over  the 
snowy  plateau,  and  we  began  to  climb  the  rocks 
again,  —  this  was  easy  compared  with  plunging 
through  the  snow,  —  and  resting  often,  we,  at  one 
P.  M.,  gained  the  summit.  To  repay  for  our  long 
walk,  we  saw  a  sea  of  cloud  that  we  might  have 
seen  without  going  a  rod  from  the  door,  if  we  had 
been  content  to  stay  at  home. 

But  we  had  something  which  we  cannot  have  on 
Mount  Washington,  —  an  idea  of  the  immensity  of 
the  monarch  himself —  the  grandeur,  the  overshad- 
owing majesty  of  this  king  among  kingly  mountains. 
This  view  alone  was  worth  all  the  day's  toil.  I 
have  seen  Washington  from  several  points ;  this  I 
deem  the  best. 

A  gentle  summer  breeze  played  about  the  peak 
and  the  sun  shone  bright  above,  but  beyond  the 
narrow  limits  of  the  mountains,  the  cloud  rested 
everywhere. 


234  JOURNAL. 

About  two  o'clock  we  saw  by  the  increasing  vol- 
ume of  cloud  that  we  were  likely  to  be  forced  to 
find  our  road  back  by  the  aid  of  the  compass,  and 
unwillingly  we  turned  our  faces  homeward.  Going 
down  we  remembered  the  advice  of  Professor 
Hitchcock,  to  keep  the  height  of  land,  and  doing 
so  made  an  easy  descent. 

At  the  base  of  Jefferson  again  encountered  a 
dense  cloud,  which  came  along  just  in  time  to  catch 
us.  Didn't  Jefferson  loom  twice  as  high  for  our 
weariness  —  twice  as  high  as  the  measurements 
make  it  ?  It  did  ;  but  an  hour's  toil,  and  we  stood 
on  the  summit,  then  far  above  the  cloud.  Adams 
showed  only  the  highest  point,  and  elsewhere  all 
was  in  cloud  ;  even  for  a  time  Washington  was  hid- 
den. And  then  the  downward  way  to  the  peaks 
of  Clay  —  three  in  the  morning  —  thirty  we  thought 
before  we  crossed  the  last  and  stood  facing  our 
summit  home  ;  and  how  lost  in  the  cloud  as  the  last 
height  of  Clay  deceiving  us,  we  supposed  it  to  be 
our  own  Mount  Washington  ;  shall  we  ever  for- 
get these  and  the  incidents  of  the  day?  Think 
not  —  not  soon.  That  glorious  lighting  up  of  the 
western  sky  as  the  sun  went  down  —  the  moment 
when  sky  and  cloud  became  so  intermingled  and 
the  whole  was  like  a  sea  of  molten  gold  reflected 
on  a  sky  of  crimson,  blue,  and  gold ;  and  the  closing 
scene  the  Battle  of  the  Clouds,  when  east  and  west 


EXCITEMENTS  OF  LIFE.  235 

met  over  the  ridge  of  Clay,  and  darting  sharp  flashes 
of  electric  fire  from  one  to  the  other,  then  closing, 
the  west  drove  back  the  east  —  a  grand  finale  to 
so  gorgeous  a  sunset. 

We  found  on  reaching  home  that  the  members 
of  the  party  here  had  seen  us  through  the  Tolles 
and  Army  telescopes  much  of  the  day ;  saw  us 
raise  our  flag  on  Adams ;  saw  us  as  we  lunched ;  and 
in  fact  knew  our  every  movement,  whenever  the 
clouds  permitted  them  to  see  us.  They  did  not 
claim  to  have  overheard  our  conversation  —  it  is  a 
wonder  they  did  not,  possessing  such  excellent  tele- 
scopes ! 

They  were  out  watching  for  us,  and,  as  we  came 
up  the  track,  greeted  us  with  congratulations.  We 
have  narrated  to  them  our  adventures,  trifling  as 
they  are,  and  they  have  related  the  doings  on  the 
summit  the  livelong  day  ;  the  sudden  changes  of  rel- 
ative humidity  ;  that  the  temperature  was  56°  at  one 
time ;  and  how  they  all  have  spent  the  day  :  these 
little  things  make  the  excitements  of  life  on  Mount 
Washington,  insignificant  as  they  may  appear  to 
the  world  outside  our  circle.  Found  many  insects, 
even  on  the  summit  of  Adams. 

I  am  going  to  bed  to  dream  of  falling  down  the 
snow-slide  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf,  which  little  feat 
I  might  have  performed  but  for  the  greater  caution 
of  my  friend  Holden. 


236  JOURNAL. 

I  must  add  one  item.  H.  and  myself  have  passed 
judgment  on  the  mountains  we  visited  to-day. 
Briefly  it  is,  that  Clay  is  a  blunder  —  a  failure  as  a 
mountain  —  the  whole  family  of  Clay  being  repre- 
sented in  its  many  yet  useless  peaks  —  useless  for 
any  purpose  but  to  worry  the  toiling  traveler ;  that 
Jefferson  is  well  worth  a  visit,  and  Adams,  above  all, 
grand.  The  whole  route  is  interesting  for  its  wild 
scenery,  often  rising  to  the  sublime.  Bold  cliffs, 
deep  ravines,  high  rocks  and  beetling  crags,  cozy 
nooks  and  places  where  the  sun  never  sends  a 
beam.  Now,  10.30  P.  M.,  it  is  raining ;  what  a 
country ! 

Sunday,  May  7.  The  barometer  fell  50-100ths 
from  last  night  at  nine  o'clock  to  this  morning  at 
seven  o'clock.  Wind  rising  at  three  A.  M.,  reaching 
the  highest  velocity  at  two  p.  M.,  which  was  67  ; 
highest  recorded  for  some  time,  quite  strongly  re- 
minding us  of  the  winter  months.  Snowing  all 
day ;  the  whirling,  driving  clouds  of  snow  made  it 
far  from  pleasant  to  stay  out  for  three  minutes, 
the  time  occupied  in  taking  the  force  of  the  wind. 
Mr.  Holden  had  that  honor  conferred  more  than 
once  upon  him. 

At  five  P.  M.  the  cloud  passed  off  and  we  could 
see  that  not  the  mountains  alone,  but  the  lower 
country  as  well,  was  "  snow-bound."  At  9.40 


A  QUIET  SUNDAY.  237 

p.  M.,  snowing  again.  Temperature,  two  p.  M.,  21° 
highest  for  the  day;  and  19°,  at  nine  p.  M. 

No  church-bells  rang  out  for  us  the  call  to  morn- 
ing service.  Really,  now  I  write  of  church-bells 
ringing  for  Sunday  service,  it  strikes  my  fancy  that 
I  should  enjoy  hearing  them ;  since  the  19th  De- 
cember I  have  not  heard  them  —  may  not  for  a 
month  to  come. 

As  there  was  no  church-going  for  us,  H.  and  I 
slept  late,  and  rose  tired  and  lame  from  the  ten- 
mile  tramp  of  yesterday.  Ten  miles  !  if  properly 
distributed,  they  would  make  fifty  on  a  decent  road  ! 

Littleton  reported,  at  4.30  p.  M.,  that  it  had 
been  rainy,  but  was  clearing  away. 

Nine  p.  M.  We  have  had  a  quiet  Sunday  in- 
doors ;  anything  but  that  outside  now ;  none  of 
the  family  have  attended  church,  nor  have  we  had 
callers.  We  have  passed  the  day  in  reading.  The 
wind  is  higher  than  an  hour  ago  and  we  may  get  a 
rough  night. 

Monday,  May  8.  We  did  have  a  rough  night, 
called  the  wind  80  at  midnight.  Of  course  there 
was  considerable  pressure  on  the  house,  and  the  re- 
sultant creaking  and  cracking  of  the  building,  the 
jarring  and  rocking,  were  all  very  creditable  for  a 
May  storm. 

Temperature,  seven  A.  M.,  15°.  Professor  found 
the  wind-vane,  it  was  carried  away  last  night  by 


238  JOURNAL. 

the  spindle  breaking  —  a  quarter-inch  rod.  The 
wind  last  night  was  at  no  time  below  60,  and  as  high 
much  of  the  time  to-day ;  since  three  p.  M.  rising, 
and  the  barometer  rapidly  falling  ;  at  two  P.  M.  it 
was  23.035,  the  lowest  for  some  weeks.  At  two 
p.  M.  temperature  18°  and  wind  62.  Ten  p.  M.,  snow- 
ing, and  wind  more  moderate.  The  frost-work  is 
heavy  and  fine  ;  on  the  house  it  points  in  every 
conceivable  direction,  showing  that  it  was  formed  in 
the  eddies,  and  of  course  against  the  wind. 

None  on  the  sick-list  to-day.  Holden  is  embar- 
goed but  manages  to  make  himself  comfortable. 
The  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  will  have  to  excuse 
him  to-morrow  night.  He  could  not  desert  if  he 
would,  and  I  do  not  think  he  will  try  it,  to-night  at 
least. 

A  wild-cat  was  here  last  night  ;  did  not  come 
in,  but  contented  himself  with  caterwauling  outside 
the  premises.  It  might,  possibly,  have  thought  it 
was  paying  us  a  high  compliment  in  so  vigorous 
an  exhibition  of  its  musical  powers  ;  if  so,  never  a 
more  mistaken  puss.  More  likely  there  was  a  dis- 
pute between  Master  Sable,  whom  we  consider  one 
of  our  party,  and  said  feline  as  to  the  right  of  way, 
or  for  the  ownership  of  a  poor  little  mouse.  H. 
and  I  saw  their  tracks  Saturday,  just  below  th& 
summit ;  we  have  seen  them  before,  but  more  gen 
erally  since  May  came  in. 


FROST  WORK.  239 

Tuesday,  May  9.  Clouds  off  and  on  till  five 
p.  M.,  when  they  disappeared  entirely.  The  wind 
fell  away  towards  midnight,  and  has  been  steady 
to-day  at  about  35,  though  now,  nine  p.  M.,  nearly 
cairn.  Wind  northwest  all  day ;  it  may  storm  by 
tomorrow. 

Mountain  peaks  white  as  winter,  but  the  valleys 
are  bare  —  even  at  the  Glen  House  there  is  no 
snow.  A  fine  aurora  to-night  —  arch,  without  dark 
underlying  cloud  or  streamers. 

And  the  frost-work  has  seldom  been  more  beau- 
tiful. Thompson  and  I  measured  some  feathers 
to-day.  On  a  tall  pole  at  the  Tip-top  House,  found 
them  thirty-six  inches  in  length,  and  on  a  rock 
south  of  the  house,  forty-nine  in  length  and  fifteen 
broad.  This  last  formation  is  very  beautiful,  but 
does  not  present  such  varied  shapes  as  during  the 
winter  and  last  month.  Yet  there  has  never  been 
the  time  when  the  trestle  of  the  railway  just  below 
the  observatory,  or  the  Bourne  monument,  gave  a 
better  idea  of  the  exceeding  beauty  of  the  finer 
specimens  of  this  most  charming  feature  of  the  win- 
ter scenery  of  the  mountains.  They  might  be  pure, 
solid  frost-work,  for  all  one  can  see  of  either  wood 
or  stone. 

Messrs.  Holden  and  Thompson  left  this  afternoon 
at  one  o'clock.  Both  S.  and  myself  have  been  on 
the  sick-list  to-day. 


240  JOURNAL. 

Our  birds  have  been  merry  to-day ;  they  sing 
sweetly  and  appear  to  enjoy  these  comfortable  quar- 
ters like  sensible  birds  as  they  are.  They  do  not 
think  of  venturing  out  during  storms  or  when  the 
weather  is  at  all  inclement.  Monday  night  one  of 
these  birds  roomed  with  us,  making  the  anemome- 
ter its  perch ;  seemed  perfectly  at  home  after  it 
had  concluded  to  stay. 

This  morning  was  fine,  pleasant,  nothing  remark- 
able about  it,  unless  to  see  the  sun  once  more  was 
an  event  worth  recording,  and  most  assuredly,  we 
shall  soon  begin  to  think  even  a  clear  sunrise  to  be 
quite  an  event ;  for  "  cloud  on  the  mountain,"  is 
the  almost  daily  entry  in  the  Register.  And  so  after 
all  the  fine  morning  it  commenced  to  snow  at  9 
o'clock,  and  continued  to  all  day  at  intervals,  and 
we  had  the  usual  amount  of  cloud. 

Professor  found  to-day  some  beautiful  frost- wings  ; 
just  as  perfect  in  form  and  feathering  as  a  real 
wing  ;  they  were  very  beautiful  indeed. 

Thursday,  May  11.  A  wintry  sky  and  winter 
scenery  this  morning ;  the  sky  a  pale  blue  and  the 
sunshine  that  of  December.  The  clouds  presented 
an  infinite  variety  .of  shades  —  gray,  brown,  and 
dingy  black;  distant  mountains  showed  clear-cut 
outlines  ;  snowy  peaks  of  the  higher  mountains  glis- 
ten in  the  morning  light.  Looking  beyond  them 
we  see  a  change ;  the  Androscoggin  is  broader  and 


A  RARE  EVENING.  241 

its  waters  sparkle  in  the  play  of  sunlight ;  the  val- 
leys are  bare  and  brown.  Last  winter  the  river 
was  a  silver  thread,  the  lowlands  white  as  are  these 
summits  now.  Only  these  differences  between  a 
pleasant  morning  last  December  and  this.  20°  at 
seven  A.  M. 

Soon  the  clouds  settled  down  and  we  were  shut 
in  the  remainder  of  the  day  till  near  sunset.  Then 
the  sun  tried  to  throw  a  little  glow  over  the  scene, 
but  miserably  failed  and  angrily  went  to  bed  —  the 
clouds,  though  broken,  were  too  dense. 

Later  in  the  evening  it  was  clear,  and  the  stars 
shone  brilliantly ;  starlight  on  the  mountain  is  not 
the  passionless  thing  it  is  below  the  clouds.  A 
rare,  rare  evening. 

Mr.  Huntington  expects  to  leave  us  soon.  How 
quickly  the  winter  has  passed  spite  of  storms,  hur- 
ricanes, and  clouds  —  of  discomfort,  and  rather  hard 
fare  and  the  many  deprivations.  S.  is  still  far  from 
well.  To  endure,  without  suffering  in  some  re- 
spect, the  sudden  changes  of  weather,  one  needs 
an  iron  constitution ;  and  any  one  that  stays  here 
should  have  a  will  equally  as  strong.  It  is  hard 
on  an  invalid  —  I  can  bear  testimony  to  that. 

Temperature  27°  at  two  p.  M.  and  the  same  at 
nine  p.  M. 

Friday,  May  12.  A  sunrise  bright  and  fair  as 
ever  poet  raved  about  or  painter  dreamed.  And 

16 


242  JOURNAL. 

the  day  was  lovely  simply  because  it  was  spring-like  ; 
the  sunset  charming.  Half  an  hour  before  sunset 
a  crimson  glow  came  creeping  out  of  the  west  and 
diffused  itself  over  the  broad  expanse  of  country 
north.  Mount  Washington  was  under  the  shadow 
of  the  heavy  upper  stratum  of  cloud,  but  the  crim- 
son light  resting  on  mountains  and  valleys,  lakes 
and  rivers,  below  and  far  across  the  Canada  border, 
so  nearly  touched  Mount  Washington  that  its 
southern  bounds  were  within  twenty  miles.  Later, 
the  crimson  was  followed  by  broad  bands  of  varying 
brown  and  purple,  the  shades  constantly  changing, 
and  finally,  as  the  .sun  went  down,  all  color  faded 
into  gray.  The  south  lay  under  a  dense,  black 
cloud;  in  the  east  was  the  darkness  of  night,  in- 
tensely deep,  the  gloom  the  more  from  contrast 
with  the  radiant  west.  In  the  evening  an  interest- 
ing auroral  display  —  streamers  with  a  dark  under- 
lying cloud  broken  on  its  upper  edge. 

The  last  Press  telegram  goes  to-night.  Nor 
shall  we  any  longer  have  pleasant  evening  chats 
with  Professor  Hitchcock  at  Hanover.  S.  is  at  the 
depot  to-night,  and  the  telegraph  has  no  word  for 
us. 

Professor  and  I  writing  all  day ;  wished  much 
to  take  a  walk,  but  were  unable. 

Saturday,  May  13.  A  really  fine  sunrise  —  but 
here  it  does  not  follow  by  any  means  that  the  day 


HUNTINGTON  LEAVES.  243 

will  prove  the  same,  and  so  about  nine  A.  M.  there 
were  "  clouds  on  the  mountain  "  and  snow- squalls 
much  of  the  time  afterwards.  The  wind  worked 
up  to  50  at  10.30  P.  M.,  when  we  concluded  to  let  it 
blow,  as  we  could  not  prevent  it  so  doing,  and  now 
we  are  going  to  bed. 

Well,  if  the  half-dozen  almanacs  on  the  shelf 
did  not  say  that  it  was  May  we  might  think  we 
had  missed  one  of  the  winter  months.  How  the 
wind  howls  —  charming  for  "  merrie  month  of 
May!" 

If  Thomson  —  the  poet  I  mean  —  not  my  friend 
T.,  who  is  not  a  poet  —  were  here  to-night  he 
would  sing  another  strain  than  — 

"  Forth  fly  the  tepid  airs  ;  and  unconfined, 
Unbinding  earth,  the  moving  softness  strays." 

Not  a  bit  of  it.  But  this  is  the  climate  of  Lab- 
rador, and  there  is  no  reason  to  find  fault  with  it  — 
a  most  excellent  climate  too  —  of  its  kind. 

Sunday,  May  14.  The  wind  was  high  as  80,  if 
not  higher,  during  the  night.  All  day,  as  usual,  it 
has  been  cloudy,  and  frost-work  forming.  Tem- 
perature at  seven  A.  M.  was  11°,  and  highest  for  the 
day  at  nine  P.  M.,  21°.  At  no  time  the  wind 
lower  than  46.  Mr.  Huntington  left  at  nine  A.  M. 
in  the  face  of  a  forty-eight  mile  gale  and  the  tem- 
perature only  14°.  I  am  anxious  for  his  safety  and 
shall  be  till  S.  returns. 


244  JOURNAL. 

To-night,  for  the  first  time,  I  am  keeping  "  watch 
and  ward  "  on  the  mountain  top  alone.  Am  rather 
pleased  with  the  novelty  of  the  situation  ;  and  quite 
enjoy  the  gale.  I  have  been  listening  to  winds  and 
studying  the  many  different  sounds.  There  is  the 
uninterrupted  rumble  of  the  wind  and  click  and 
creak  of  the  frame  of  the  building  more  particu- 
larly noticeable  in  the  outer  room.  As  heard  here 
it  is  like  the  sound  of  factory  machinery  as  one  may 
hear  it  on  a  summer's  day,  at  a  distance.  The 
windows  and  boarding  as  they  give  and  rebound 
creak  intermittently.  Without  are  the  chains  clank- 
ing, thumping,  and  rattling,  sometimes  sounding  like 
a  ship's  cable  running  out  in  casting  anchor.  When 
the  wind  blows  steadily  it  gives  the  building  a  rock- 
ing motion  ;  eddying,  it  converts  the  vibratory  to  a 
jarring  action.  Now  scarcely  audible,  its  sound  is 
that  of  summer  breeze,  a  gentle  murmur ;  now  husky 
and  muffled  as  the  wind  which  precedes  the  storm, 
now  high-sounding  and  clamorous,  it  rises  and 
gives  the  house  a  violent  shaking,  bringing  out 
clearly  its  every  creak  and  groan  from  the  strain- 
ing frame ;  the  walls  give  back  a  dull  booming,  like 
distant  artillery  practice,  as  they  rebound  when  the 
wind  lets  go  its  hold.  Now  it  dies  away  into  a  soft 
whisper  and  for  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  lull  —  a 
dead  calm  more  disagreeable  in  its  death-like  still- 
ness than  the  roar  and  howl  of  the  hurricane  in  its 
"ercest  anger. 


CONCLUSION.  245 

And  this  night's  gale  is  similar  to  the  heavy  ones, 
the  hurricanes,  differing  only  in  the  greater  force 
of  those. 

As  I  sit  here  to-night  I  do  not  feel  as  though  I 
was  alone  ;  admit  to  a  slight  degree  of  sadness  as  I 
saw  Mr.  Huntington  go  out  into  the  storm.  I  had 
so  much  anxiety  on  his  account  —  that  perhaps  pre- 
vented my  thinking  much  about  this  parting  being 
final  so  far  as  Mount  Washington  is  concerned. 

I  have  wished  that  my  bird-companions  would 
sing  a  little  song,  but  it  is  too  cold.  They  appear 
to  be  very  comfortable  and  contented.  When  I  go 
into  their  room,  they  seem  glad  to  see  me  and  give 
an  answering  chirp  to  my  greetings. 

The  wind  now  is  about  50  or  55.  I  have  made 
the  last  observation,  and  am  going  to  bed  to  sleep 
just  as  soundly  as  though  there  were  a  half-dozen 
good  fellows  to  keep  me  company. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  winter's  work  is  done.  We  trust  that  has 
not  been  time  and  labor  lost.  Storms  of  unpar- 
alleled severity,  when  for  days  in  succession  the 
summit  was  enveloped  in  clouds  and  the  hurricanes 
lasted  longer  and  were  more  violent  than  any  yet 
recorded  in  the  United  States,  together  with  very 
low  temperatures,  have  been  a  part  of  our  experi- 
ence. 


246  JOURNAL. 

Just  such  an  experience  has  seldom  before  been 
the  lot  of  human  beings.  Though  interesting,  these 
grand  atmospheric  disturbances  are  not  the  most 
enjoyable  features  of  mountain  life. 

And  ours  has  been  the  good  fortune  to  witness 
some  of  the  most  magnificent  winter  scenery  upon 
which  mortal  eyes  ever  rested ;  scenery  of  tran- 
scendent grandeur,  and  views  surpassingly  beau- 
tiful. 

There  were  mornings  when  the  atmosphere  was 
so  transparent  and  the  sky  so  pure  a  blue,  with  not 
a  fleck  of  cloud,  the  snowy  mountain-peaks  so  daz- 
zlingly  white,  their  forms  so  clearly  outlined  and 
standing  up  in  such  bold  relief,  that  they  seemed 
the  creation  of  yesterday ;  and  mornings  when 
earth  and  sky,  forests,  lakes,  and  rivers,  and  the 
clouds  above  wore  a  radiance  and  richness  of  color 
never  seen  in  other  than  mountain  regions  and 
from  the  loftiest  elevations. 

There  were  days  when  the  shifting  views  of  each 
hour  furnished  new  wonders  and  new  beauties,  in 
the  play  of  sunlight  and  changing  cloud-forms,  every 
hour  a  picture  in  itself  and  perfect  in  details.  Sun- 
sets, too,  when  an  ocean  of  cloud  surrounded  this 
island-like  summit,  the  only  one  of  all  the  many 
high  peaks  visible  above  the  cloud  billows,  all  else 
of  earth  hidden  from  sight ;  there  were  times  when 
this  aerial  sea  was  burnished  silver,  smooth  and 


CHANGE  OF  SCENE.  247 

calm,  and  times  when  its  tossing  waves  were  tipped 
with  crimson  and  golden  fire. 

There  were  mornings  and  evenings  and  whole 
days  when  the  winds  were  hushed  and  a  soft  haze 
rested  over  everything,  making  the  distant  out-look 
much  like  that  of  summer. 

Although  our  situation  has  been  very  much  an 
isolated  one,  and  the  area  of  our  little  world  lim- 
ited, our  daily  life  has  not  been  without  incident  or 
void  of  interest,  to  us  at  least.  But  now,  our  work 
being  done,  we  go  down  to  the  busy  world  once 
more.  And  though  we  look  forward  to  the  change 
with  anticipations  of  pleasure,  we  shall  half-regret- 
fully  turn  our  backs  upon  this  majestic  old  moun- 
tain whose  cloud-enveloped  summit  has  so  long  been 
our  home. 

The  days  of  canned-beef,  "  hard-tack,"  and  coffee 
will  soon  be  counted  among  the  things  of  the  past. 
Gone  are  the  long  days  and  longer  nights  when  the 
stoves  failed  to  comfortably  warm  the  little  room, 
though  we  kept  them  at  a  red  heat,  and  when  the 
thermometer  indicated  65°  near  the  stove,  and  4° 
at  the  floor  ten  feet  distant.  So  are  the  long  pe- 
riods when  we  received  no  news  from  below  the 
clouds,  and  the  longer  weeks  when  no  visitor  could 
think  of  making  our  quarters  his  temporary  home. 

Days  of  storm  and  gloom  and  piercing  cold  ; 
times  when  the  line  is  down  and  we  are  then  as 


248  JOURNAL. 

effectually  cut  off  from  communication  with  man- 
kind as  if  we  were  dwellers  on  another  planet,  — 
these  are  days  never  to  be  forgotten.  And  there 
have  been  those  days  which  we  shall  ever  remem- 
ber for  their  splendors,  and  beautiful  ones  that 
seemed  more  of  heaven  than  earth,  and  nights 
which  made  the  complement  of  such  days. 

A  party  of  three  brought  into  so  close  relations 
as  we  were,  incur  the  risk  of  finding  each  other  dis- 
agreeable companions,  especially  where,  as  in  this 
case,  they  happened  to  be  entire  strangers.  Our 
intercourse  has  ever  been  pleasant.  It  is  doubtful 
if  three  coming  together  by  chance,  often  find  their 
tastes  and  sympathies  so  generally  in  harmony. 

Having  an  equal  interest  in  the  work,  and  feeling 
our  situation  to  be  one  where  we  were  mutually 
dependent  for  help  in  sickness,  for  our  pleasures, 
for  companionship,  for  everything  that  made  our 
isolated  life  endurable,  we  have  passed  the  winter 
pleasantly. 

Though  less  intimately  connected  with  us,  we 
consider  the  other  members  of  the  party  as  belong- 
ing to  the  Observatory,  and  we  shall  ever  remember 
with  pleasure  the  happy  days  spent  in  their  society. 

The  larger  part  of  the  time  there  was  telegraphic 
communication  with  Littleton,  and  this  had  a  ten- 
dency to  make  us  more  contented  than  we  should 
otherwise  have  been.  Triweekly  the  line  was  con- 


THE  TELEGRAPH.  249 

nected  with  the  private  office  of  Professor  Hitchcock 
at  Hanover,  and  daily  with  L.  Through  the  kind 
offices  of  the  operator  at  L.,  Mr.  Currier,  who  has 
been  very  obliging,  and  the  thoughtfulness  of  Pro- 
fessor Hitchcock,  we  received  both  foreign  and 
home  news.  Reading  telegraphic  news  from  Paris, 
as  soon  as  people  in  the  seaboard  cities,  was  not  an 
uncommon  occurrence.  News  thus  received  has  a 
flavor  to  it  that  people  who  have  the  daily  papers 
cannot  appreciate. 

In  closing,  I  would  remark  that  this  Journal  was 
never  intended  for  publication,  being  merely  daily 
notes  for  future  reference  ;  hence  its  imperfections. 
I  have  culled  from  each  day's  recorcf  such  portions 
as  seemed  most  suitable  for  this  work.  Meteoro- 
logical notes  are  generally  omitted  for  the  reason 
that  the  subject  is  fully  treated  in  other  chapters. 

Long  descriptions  of  scenery  for  like  cause  are 
not  given.  To  me,  my  journal  is  a  portfolio  of 
sketches,  and  these  pen  jottings  faithfully  picture 
the  scenes  I  have  witnessed,  however  much  they 
may  lack  expression  to  those  who  have  not  seen 
these  or  similar  scenes. 

The  record  of  our  daily  life  has  rarely  been 
transferred  to  these  pages,  in  fact  but  little  of  it  re- 
corded. Its  trials  and  vexations  and  petty  cares 
are  so  very  like  those  of  any  family  living  under 
civilized  rules  and  governed  by  the  customs  bred  of 


250  JOURNAL. 

habit,  which  even  living  on  a  mountain  in  winter 
one  does  not  willingly  give  up,  —  they  are  so  like 
these,  that  the  mistress  of  any  household  in  the 
land  may  with  safety  exercise  the  Yankee  privi- 
lege of  "  guessing,"  with  the  assurance  that  she 
cannot  guess  far  from  the  truth. 

In  making  the  selections  I  have  aimed  to  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  what  mountain  scenery  in 
winter  is,  and  also  what  life  on  the  mountain  is,  from 
our  daily  experience. 

My  wish  is  that  every  one  so  desiring  might 
see  something  of  the  winter  scenery  of  the 
mountains.  May  the  day  be  not  far  distant  when  a 
hotel  shall  be  maintained  here  in  winter  as  well  as 
in  summer ! 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MOUNT    WASHINGTON    IN    MAY. 

AVING  made  a  visit  to  the  scientific  party 
on  Mount  Washington  early  in  February, 
I  was  desirous  of  looking  in  upon  them 
again  sometime  about  the  incoming  of  the  "  merrie 
month  of  May,"  when  the  rigors  of  winter  were 
supposed,  in  the  lower  world,  at  least,  to  have 
melted  before  the  blandness  of  spring.  With  this 
end  in  .view,  I  set  out  from  Boston,  Thursday, 
April  27.  It  was  a  bright,  sunny,  genial  morning, 
filled  with  the  joyful  promises  of  the  summer  soon 
to  come.  The  workers  in  the  fields  had  thrown  off 
their  coats  while  following  the  plough,  and  the  pas- 
sengers were  content  to  admit  the  pure,  bracing  air 
through  the  open  car  windows.  It  seemed  impos- 
sible that  a  single  day's  journey  could  bring  forth 
the  slightest  reminder  of  winter,  now  long  past  and 
gone.  Any  one  who  has  taken  the  railroad  ride 
from  Boston  mountainward,  through  Lowell  and  up 
the  Merrimac  valley  to  Concord,  and  thence  over 
the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad,  need 


252          MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

not  be  told  of  the  delights  of  the  journey.  For 
miles  one  is  borne  along  the  banks  of  the  broad, 
swelling  Merrimac,  amid  scenes  of  peaceful  beauty, 
with  brief  halts  at  the  busy  marts  which  have 
sprung  up  here  and  there  by  its  side.  By  noon  the 
shores  of  the  broad  and  beautiful  Lake  Winnipi- 
seogee  are  reached,  and  across  its  fair  expanse  we 
catch  some  glorious  glimpses  of  the  lower  ranges  of 
mountains.  Farther  northward  we  join  the  Pemi- 
gewasset  and  Baker's  Rivers  and  are  soon  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  some  of  the  noble  hills  which 
form  the  western  outposts  of  the  Franconia  range. 
Emerging  from  among  these,  we  strike  across  to  the 
banks  of  the  Connecticut,  in  the  seemingly  bound- 
less town  of  Haverhill,  and  after  gaining  the  en- 
chanting view  which  opens  for  a  long  distance 
southward,  once  more  seek  the  companionship  of 
the  hills  by  winding  along  the  course  of  the  swift 
gliding  Ammonoosuc,  almost  to  the  heart  of  the 
great  mountains  themselves.  The  journey  is  at  all 
times  enjoyable,  and  especially  so  was  it  at  this 
time,  when  the  clear  spring  atmosphere  gave  even  to 
far  distant  objects  great  distinctness.  At  Manches- 
ter I  was  joined  by  Professor  Huntington,  who  had 
come  down  from  the  mountain  a  day  or  two  before 
to  fulfill  a  lecture  engagement,  and  at  Wells  River, 
Mr.  Eben  Thompson,  a  member  of  the  Scientific 
Class  of  Dartmouth  College,  was  added  to  our  little 
party. 


A    WINTRY  STORM.  253 

WINTER    LINGERS    IN    THE    LAP    OF    SPRING. 

Leaving  the  cars  at  Whitefield,  the  nearest  rail- 
road point  on  the  western  approach  to  Mount 
Washington,  we  carried  out  our  prearranged  pro- 
gramme of  driving  over  to  the  White  Mountain 
House  the  same  evening,  despite  gathering  clouds 
which  threatened  a  severe  storm.  We  had  not 
proceeded  far  on  our  twelve  miles'  ride  before  the 
storm  burst  upon  us  in  great  fury,  and  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  way  we  were  compelled  to  face 
the  fierce  assaults  of  rain,  hail,  and  sleet.  The 
ferocity  of  the  storm  was  greater  on  the  summits  of 
the  Carroll  hills  than  anywhere  else,  except,  per- 
haps, on  the  entrance  to  the  plateau  below  the 
White  Mountain  House,  where  the  wind  swept  up 
from  the  direction  of  the  Notch  with  really  tremen- 
dous force.  In  both  places  the  hail  beat  against  our 
faces  like  showers  of  needle  points.  By  the  time 
we  had  reached  the  White  Mountain  House  we 
were  chilled  to  the  extent  that  we  could  hardly 
move,  and  drenched  to  the  very  skin.  The  ground 
was  whitened  by  snow  and  the  wintry  landscape 
was  in  very  strange  contrast  with  the  vernal  and 
sunny  scenes  of  the  morning.  We  awoke  Friday 
morning  to  find  the  storm  somewhat  abated,  and 
the  snow  already  melted,  and  in  order  that  we 
might  lose  no  time  in  gaining  the  top  of  the  moun- 


254          MOUNT   WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

tain,  we  drove  over  to  the  depot  of  the  Mount 
Washington  Railway,  seven  miles  distant  from  the 
White  Mountain  House,  immediately  after  break- 
fast. It  was  decidedly  cold  when  we  arrived  at  that 
point,  and  there  were  occasional  showers,  but  we 
cared  Jess  for  a  low  temperature,  even  though  it  had 
approached  the  winter  standard,  than  for  a  high 
wind  which  prevailed,  and  which  would  have  blown 
directly  in  our  faces,  half  way  up  the  mountain. 
Dark,  angry  looking  clouds  were  flitting  down  the 
valley  at  no  very  great  altitude,  and  the  tree  tops 
bent  and  writhed  under  the  fitful  blasts.  Alto- 
gether, it  seemed  an  unfavorable  time  to  attempt 
the  ascent,  and  we  settled  down  quite  comfortably 
at  the  log-hut  with  the  railway  workmen,  deter- 
mined to  await  more  propitious  weather.  We  were 
not  a  little  vexed  to  learn  upon  reaching  the  sum- 
mit the  day  after,  that  while  the  elements  had  been 
so  turbulent  in  the  valley,  it  had  been  calm  and 
pleasant  above  the  clouds. 

THE    ASCENT. 

Saturday  dawned  more  auspiciously,  and  refreshed 
by  a  good  night's  rest,  we  were  in  good  condition 
for  our  upward  journey.  Dense  clouds  still  rested 
upon  the  mountain,  but  there  were  no  indications 
that  either  wind  or  storm  would  impede  us,  and  the 
temperature  was  more  springlike  —  too  warm,  in 


WALKING  UP  THE  MOUNTAIN.  255 

fact,  for  violent  exercise,  as  we  soon  discovered. 
The  morning  mists  had  transformed  the  valley  be- 
low us  into  a  lake  of  silver,  which  remained  calm 
and  motionless  through  the  early  morning  and  until 
the  sun's  heat  caused  the  vapors  to  rise  and  dissi- 
pate. Breakfast  over,  our  preparations  for  depar- 
ture were  quickly  made,  for  they  consisted  of  little 
else  than  the  buckling  on  of  knapsacks  and  the 
grasping  of  spiked  staffs.  Crossing  the  little  stream 
above  the  station,  and  following  up  the  logging  road 
a  few  rods,  we  gained  the  railway  track  at  a  point 
above  the  high  trestle-work.  Thenceforward  we 
kept  upon  the  track,  a  course  we  could  easily  take, 
since  the  snow  had  melted  from  the  ties  and  string- 
ers. Walking  up  the  mountain  over  the  railway  — 
stepping  from  tie  to  tie  —  is  fatiguing  work,  and  in 
places  where  the  trestle-work  is  very  high,  quite 
dangerous  under  certain  circumstances,  but  it  is  the 
most  expeditious  way  of  getting  over  the  ground, 
and  on  the  whole  the  easiest,  provided  frequent 
halts  are  made  to  rest.  As  we  crept  slowly  upward, 
we  paused  many  times  to  gaze  upon  the  glorious 
panorama  which  was  gradually  unfolding  itself  to 
our  view.  The  lower  banks  of  mist  were  rising 
from  the  valleys  and  were  being  wafted  about  in 
little  clouds,  or  vanished  altogether.  Above  us  were 

*  o 

leaden  clouds  shutting  out  the  sun,  and  other  great 
masses  of  cloud  appeared  in  the  west.  The  Fran- 


256          MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

conia  range  stood  out  in  noble  outline  against  the 
western  horizon,  and  farther  distant  in  the  north- 
west were  some  of  the  Green  Mountain  peaks, 
though  there  was  less  distinctness  than  usual  in  the 
remote  view  on  account  of  the  general  cloudiness. 
At  one  time  Lafayette  seemed  transformed  into  a 
volcano  by  a  little  fleecy  cloud  which  ascended 
from  its  peak  like  a  puff  of  smoke.  No  snow  was 
encountered  until  we  had  nearly  reached  the 
Waumbek  station,  and  then  it  appeared  in  little 
patches,  in  one  or  two  places  some  distance  above 
that  point,  completely  covering  the  track. 

Not  far  above  the  Waumbek  station  we  reached 
the  lower  surface  of  the  cloud  which  hung  about  the 
mountain,  and  everything  remained  in  obscuration 
until  we  emerged  into  the  sunlight  a  short  distance 
below  the  head  of  the  Great  Gulf.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  upper  surface  of  the  vapory  mass,  a 
fine  solar  bow,  showing  all  the  prismatic  colors, 
with  a  supernumerary  bow,  was  thrown  on  the, 
dense  mists  below.  The  cloudy  mass  was  twelve 
or  fifteen  hundred  feet  thick,  and  while  we  had 
been  enveloped  in  its  misty  folds,  it  had  extended 
farther  westward,  forming  a  continuous,  boundless 
sea,  relieved  only  here  and  there  by  the  tallest 
peaks,  which  rose  like  islands  from  the  surface. 
Washington,  Jefferson,  Adams,  and  Madison  lifted 
their  proud  heads  far  above  the  cloud  ocean,  like 


A  PLEASANT  ASCENT.  257 

bold  promontories  on  a  rugged,  rock-bound  coast. 
When  we  reached  a  sufficiently  high  point  to  look 
eastward,  we  found  that  nearly  the  whole  expanse 
in  that  direction  was  also  overspread  by  the  billowy 
masses,  though  at  a  lower  level,  as  usual. 

In  the  rarefied  air  about  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain any  exertion  is  fatiguing,  and  pedestrianizing 
up  a  steep  grade  becomes  all  the  more  difficult,  but 
happily,  for  a  considerable  distance  above  the  Great 
Gulf  and  until  the  Lizzie  Bourne  monument  is 
passed,  the  ascent  is  much  more  gradual  than  be- 
low, and  the  weary  traveller  becomes  better  pre- 
pared for  the  final  pull  to  the  summit.  We  reached 
our  destination  in  excellent  time  considering  our  lei- 
surely way  of  travelling,  for  we  had  stopped  many 
times  for  the  double  purpose  of  resting  and  enjoying 
the  strange  and  beautiful  scenes  spread  out  before 
us.  Professor  Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Nelson  met  us  a 
little  distance  below  the  Lizzie  Bourne  monument, 
and,  after  extending  a  very  cordial  greeting,  re- 
lieved us  of  our  knapsacks,  encumbrances  we  were 
by  this  time  very  ready  to  part  with,  for  they  were 
heavily  laden  with  clothing,  mail  matter,  provisions, 
etc.  At  the  summit  we  received  another  warm  wel- 
come from  Sergeant  Smith. 

We  could  not  have  had  a  more  favorable  time 
for  our  ascent.  There  was  scarcely  a  perceptible 
breeze  at  the  summit,  and  at  no  time  during  the 
17 


258          MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

morning  had  the  velocity  of  the  wind  exceeded 
more  than  a  mile  an  hour.  The  temperature  was 
unusually  high,  having  been  recorded  at  39°  at 
seven  o'clock  A.  M.  —  three  degrees  warmer  than 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  —  with  a  slight  down- 
ward tendency  in  subsequent  observations. 

MORE    BEAUTIFUL   CLOUD    SCENES. 

For  hours  after  our  arrival  there  was  a  succes- 
sion of  the  most  glorious  cloud  pictures,  and  it  was 
a  rich  and  rare  pastime  to  watch  their  ever-varying 
effects.  Westward  dense  masses  of  cloud  still 
stretched  out  as  far  as  the  eye  could  discern,  while 
the  vapory  formations  eastward  of  the  mountain 
range,  upon  the  topmost  pinnacle  of  which  we  were 
standing,  beside  being  at  a  lower  level,  were  less 
dense  and  in  a  more  disturbed  state.  Masses  of 
cloud  breaking  away  from  the  vast  sea  in  the  west, 
were  driven  around  Mount  Washington  and  the 
other  high  peaks,  before  the  slight  breeze,  and 
poured  into  Oakes'  Gulf,  Tuckerman's  Ravine, 
and  the  Great  Gulf,  like  huge,  noiseless  cataracts. 
There  was  a  greater  movement  of  air  in  the 
Pinkham  Notch  than  anywhere  else,  and  the  two 
currents  meeting  at  that  point,  fleecy  mists  were 
thrown  hundreds  —  perhaps  thousands  —  of  feet  in 
the  air  like  spray.  Now  and  then  huge  rifts  would 
appear  in  the  southeast,  opening  most  glorious  vistas 


-  A  RAMBLE  ABOUT  THE  SUMMIT.         259 

down  the  valley  of  the  Saco.  Once  the  misty  cur- 
tain was  rent  asunder  from  Mount  Carrigain  on  the 
west,  to  beyond  Pequawket  on  the  east,  and  the 
atmosphere  being  exceedingly  clear,  the  view 
encompassed  by  those  points  was  very  extensive, 
reaching  even  to  Wachusett  Mountain  in  Massa- 
chusetts, while  with  a  powerful  glass  we  could  see 
all  that  was  going  on  in  Jackson  and  in  the  village 
of  North  Conway.  Later  in  the  afternoon,  the 
clouds  cleared  away  along  the  valleys  of  the  An- 
droscoggin  and  the  Connecticut,  opening  new 
scenes  of  loveliness. 

A    RAMBLE  ABOUT     THE    SUMMIT. 

I  took  an  early  stroll  about  the  plateau  forming 
the  summit,  visiting  the  Tip-top  and  Summit 
houses,  and  other  points.  While  on  the  moun- 
tain in  February,  I  found  it  a  very  easy  matter  to 
wander  about  in  any  direction,  the  ice  and  frost 
covering  all  inequalities,  and  making  comparatively 
an  even  surface.  When  we  arrived  on  this  visit, 
all  the  large  rocks  were  bare,  snow  filling  only  the 
interstices,  although  a  furious  snow-storm  had  oc- 
curred only  a  week  before.  The  mountain-top  pre- 
sented a  mottled  appearance.  In  places  along  the 
railway  and  among  the  rocks,  the  old  snow  remained 
to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  and  in  occasional 
drifts  still  deeper.  There  was  a  huge  drift  in  front 


260          MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

of  the  Tip-top  House,  obscuring  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  door,  and  another  on  the  easterly  side  of  the 
Summit  House,  but  aside  from  these,  the  buildings 
were  almost  bare.  There  were  a  few  lingering 
beauties  of  frost-work,  but  this  as  well  as  the  snow 
had  for  the  most  part  disappeared.  It  was  a  much 
more  difficult  task  to  go  about  over  the  rocks  now 
than  in  February,  but  the  exertion,  however  great, 
well  repaid  one,  for  there  were  many  strange  sights 
to  see. 

A    CHANGE     OF    SCENE. 

The  succeeding  day  brought  a  very  great  change 
in  the  weather,  and  a  corresponding  change  in  the 
aspect  of  familiar  objects  about  the  summit.  A 
snow-storm  set  in  sometime  in  the  course  of  the 
night,  and  by  morning,  every  rock  and  building 
was  once  more  adorned  with  a  white  mantle.  The 
delicate  frost-work  had  also  begun  to  form  again, 
but  the  falling  snow  soon  obscured  its  beauties. 
This  storm  was  succeeded  by  others  of  still  greater 
severity  in  the  course  of  my  ten  days'  sojourn  at 
the  summit,  and  in  a  short  time,  the  landscape  was 
rendered  exceedingly  wintry,  in  fact  surpassing 
everything  of  the  kind  I  saw  in  February.  The 
huge  rocks  were  almost  entirely  hidden  by  the 
snow,  which  in  some  places 'was  piled  up  in  tremen- 
dous drifts.  The  drift  against  the  easterly  end  of 
the  Tip-top  House  extended  to  the  upper  windows, 


SNOW  AND  FROST.  261 

and  it  was  no  very  difficult  matter  to  clamber  up 
the  side  of  the  building,  over  the  snow  and  ice,  to 
the  very  ridgepole.  A  few  rods  down  the  carriage 
road,  between  the  two  stables,  a  drift  formed  at 
least  twenty  feet  in  depth,  making  an  even  surface 
over  the  steep  incline  at  that  place.  The  buildings 
became  entirely  coated  over  with  snow,  ice,  and  frost- 
work. The  latter  began  to  form  in  great  abundance 
a  few  days  after  our  arrival,  and  the  delicate,  feath- 
ery formations  attached  themselves  to  every  object 
—  buildings,  rocks,  telegraph  posts  and  wires,  the 
railway  trestle-work,  and  even  to  the  surface  of 
the  snow  itself.  On  the  ninth  of  May  we  meas- 
ured masses  of  the  frost-work  which  were  between 
four  and  five  feet  in  length.  The  telegraph,  posts 
just  below  the  summit  presented  a  singular  appear- 
ance, fringed  with  the  beautiful  white  masses,  and 
in  many  places  the  formations  on  the  trestle-work 
extended  out  to  a  considerable  distance.  The  little 
post  which  marks  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain, 
a  rod  or  so  northward  of  the  Tip-top  House,  as- 
sumed the  form  of  a  harp  with  the  strings  running 
the  wrong  way.  The  pile  of  stones  at  the  southerly 
verge  of  the  plateau,  which  Mr.  Clough  has  chris- 
tened the  "  Arctic  Sentinel,"  sustained  its  new  found 
title  very  appropriately,  for  scarcely  a  vestige  of 
the  stones  could  be  seen  through  the  thick  masses 
of  frost.  The  rude  pile  of  stones  which  marks  the 


262  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

spot  where  poor  Lizzie  Bourne  perished,  September 
14,  1855,  was  also  transformed  into  an  object  of 
great  beauty, —  a  more  fitting  monument  to  the  sad 
and  mournful  event.  The  frost-king  had  adorned 
every  stone  with  strange  and  beautiful  forms  of 
spotless  purity  and  whiteness,  and  surmounted  the 
whole  with  a  crystal  cross.  Every  chain  and  sup- 
port about  the  houses  became  objects  of  the  rarest 
beauty,  and  a  barrel  left  standing  beside  the  Tip- 
top House  assumed  a  fantastic  shape  with  the  del- 
icate, white,  feathery  masses  growing  out  upon  it. 
An  old  telegraph  pole  standing  in  the  rear  of  the 
house,  which,  by  splicing,  had  been  made  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  a  flag-staff,  likewise  became  a  thing 
of  picturesque  beauty,  a  fantastic  fringe  extending 
from  it  to  the  length  of  from  a  foot  to  three  or  four 
feet,  while  the  width  of  the  mass  scarcely  exceeded 
the  thickness  of  the  pole  itself.  The  staff  was 
broken  and  the  flag  itself  tattered  and  torn,  but  to 
all  adhered  the  same  strange  forms.  As  the  "  frost 
feathers  "  form  directly  toward  the  wind,  even  the 
tip  of  the  wind- vane  became  encrusted  with  them 
and  the  instrument  was  rendered  useless  until  they 
were  removed. 

HOW    WE   PASSED    MAY-DAY. 

The  residents  of  the  mountain-top  were  stirring 
on  the  morning  of  May-day,  quite  as  early  as  the 


MAY-DAY.  263 

people  of  the  country  below,  who  were  supposed  to 
be  in  quest  of  the  traditional  May-flower,  but  with 
a  somewhat  different  object  in  view,  for  outward 
appearances  suggested  any  possible  pastime  except 
going  "Maying."  Early  rising  was  one  of  the  vir- 
tues rigidly  practiced  at  the  summit,  and  any  visitor 
who  failed  to  conform  readily  to  the  custom  was 
quite  sure  to  comply  when  the  "Nevada  militia" 
mounted  guard,  a  military  performance  superin- 
tended by  Sergeant  Smith,  and  consisting  in  a  very 
great  part  of  a  drum  solo  executed  on  a  large  tin 
can.  Encased  in  overcoats,  mufflers,  and  mittens, 
some  of  us  spent  the  early  morning  hours  out  of 
doors,  in  the  crisp,  pure  air,  admiring  the  ever 
varying  cloud  scenes  and  the  gorgeous  sunrise,  and 
studying  the  beautiful  forms  of  frost-work  created 
during  the  previous  night.  Before  the  middle  of 
the  forenoon  clouds  again  enveloped  the  mountain, 
shutting  out  everything  below,  above,  and  around 
us,  and  snow  again  began  to  fall.  After  dinner 
some  of  the  younger  members  of  the  party  tried 
coasting  down  the  carriage-road.  A  sled  was 
brought  out  from  the  depot,  and  the  sport  was 
entered  into  with  considerable  zest.  Sliding  down 
over  the  road  fifteen  or  twenty  rods,  or  across  lots 
over  the  huge  drifts  formed  just  below  the  summit 
on  the  east  side,  was  easy  enough,  but  at  such  an 
altitude,  dragging  a  sled  up-hill  through  the  snow 


264  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

is  a  trifle  too  much  like  work  to  be  called  a  pastime, 
and  it  was  soon  abandoned.  The  greater  part  of 
the  day  was  passed  within  doors,  where  the  mem- 
bers of  the  scientific  party  were  kept  quite  con- 
stantly employed,  for  the  preparation  of  this  volume 
had  already  been  entered  upon.  In-door  confine- 
ment at  the  summit  during  the  winter,  was  made 
far  more  tolerable  than  it  might  have  become  in 
other  localities,  on  account  of  the  excellent  library 
made  up  for  use  by  the  different  members  of  the 
expedition.  About  noon  Professor  Hitchcock  took 
his  departure  on  his  return  to  Hanover,  and  in  the 
afternoon  a  fresh  yisitor  arrived,  an  employee  of 
the  railway  company,  who  had  come  up  from  the 
station  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  into  the  clouds, 
to  communicate  by  telegraph  with  another  resident 
of  the  lower  world.  It  seemed  a  strange  errand, 
but  by  climbing  the  mountain  side,  a  long  journey 
to  Whitefield  or  Bethlehem  had  been  saved,  and 
much  time  also  gained,  since  the  telegraph  station 
at  the  summit  was  the  only  one  open  short  of 
those  points. 

SUNRISE    AND    SUNSET   GLORIES. 

Notwithstanding  the  quick  succession  of  storms 
which  accompanied  my  visit,  I  was  permitted  to 
enjoy  several  days  of  delightfully  clear  weather, 
although  at  such  times  even,  the  country  below  us 


SUNRISE  AND  SUNSET  GLORIES.         265 

was  for  the  most  part  obscured  by  clouds.  We  also 
had  several  fine  sunrises  and  sunsets,  —  such  as  no 
mortal  ever  gazed  upon  below.  The  morning  of 
May-day  was  delightful.  It  was  clear  overhead, 
the  storm  having  ceased  during  the  night,  but  the 
surrounding  country  was  still  obscured.  A  perfect 
ocean  of  clouds  covered  all  save  the  very  highest 
peaks.  Of  the  Franconia  range,  Lafayette  and 
Moosilauke  only  were  visible.  The  nearer  moun- 
tains were  clearly  to  be  defined  on  the  cloud  surface, 
which  everywhere  seemed  to  follow  the  contour  of 
the  hills  and  valleys.  A  cloud  cap  upon  Mount 
Adams  extended  higher  than  the  top  of  Mount 
Washington.  Tuckerman's  Ravine  and  the  Pink- 
ham  Notch  became  deep,  black  gulfs,  being  filled 
with  clouds  at  a  lower  level.  The  sun  had  already 
risen  and  had  begun  to  flash  its  bright  rays  over  the 
vast  cloud  sea.  Occasionally  little  masses  of  cloud 
would  drift  over  our  heads  before  the  light  westerly 
breeze,  obscuring  the  sun  for  a  moment,  and  as  the 
mists  disappeared  eastward,  they  became  a  golden 
flood  of  light.  The  topmost  points  of  cloud  were 
tinged  with  a  delicate  purple,  and  little,  fleecy 
masses  of  vapor  breaking  away  from  the  great  body 
below,  would  rise  here  and  there  into  the  blue  ether, 
like  mysterious  spectres.  Walking  out  to  the  west- 
ern verge  of  the  little  plateau,  we  discovered  the 
shadow  of  the  mountain  upon  the  clouds  resting 


266  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

northward  of  Mount  Monroe.  Our  own  shadows 
were  surrounded  —  or  rather  the  heads  were  encir- 
cled —  by  a  corona  displaying  the  prismatic  hues, 
and  occasionally  a  bow  was  shown  on  the  drifting 
mists  above.  The  lower  half  of  our  shadows,  of  a 
more  intense  blackness  than  the  rest,  was  cast  upon 
the  shadowy  form  of  the  mountain.  A  similar 
phenomenon  had  been  observed  only  a  few  morn- 
ings previous  by  Professor  Hitchcock.  Such  ex- 
hibitions are,  however,  exceedingly  rare. 

A  few  nights  after,  we  enjoyed  another  glorious 
spectacle.  The  summit  was  enshrouded  in  clouds 
when  the  sun  went  down,  but  they  floated  away 
soon  after,  disclosing  a  scene  of  indescribable  beauty 
and  grandeur.  A  vast  sea  of  leaden  clouds  lay  at 
our  feet,  covering  every  valley  and  every  mountain 
peak  except  our  own.  Above  us  was  another  cloud 
stratum,  and  we  looked  out  from  between  the  two 
upon  a  fairy  picture.  Over  Mount  Monroe  and  the 
chain  of  mountains  running  down  to  the  Notch, 
poured  with  the  stillness  of  death  a  vast  Niagara. 
The  whole  western  horizon  was  aglow  with  light. 
The  sun  had  left  a  sea  of  gold,  while  upon  cither 
side  were  delicate  tints  of  purple,  crimson,  blue,  and 
green,  the  whole  forming  a  picture  such  as  no 
painter  ever  produced.  It  seemed  like  a  foretaste 
of  the  bright,  beautiful  land  of  the  future,  —  an 
opening  of  the  pearly  gates  leading  to  the  haven  of 


AN  EXCURSION.  267 

eternal  rest  and  peace.  Like  everything  else  in 
winter  scenery  about  the  mountains,  every  feature 
of  loveliness  was  intensified  many  fold.  Turning 
from  the  glorious  scene  to  the  eastern  horizon  was 
like  being  transported  from  the  regions  of  light  to 
the  very  depths  of  darkness.  Night  had  long  since 
settled  there,  and  the  dark,  shadowy  forms  of  cloud 
appeared  like  spirits  of  evil  banished  from  the  heav- 
enly paradise  we  had  just  gazed  upon.  The  broad 
band  of  light  in  the  west  began  to  contract,  and  the 
bright  colors  faded  little  by  little.  The  clouds 
around  us  were  at  times  flushed  with  a  roseate  hue, 
while  those  above  us,  in  the  west,  were  tinged  with 
a  brighter,  though  yet  a  pale  light.  After  an  ashy 
pallor  had  settled  upon  the  clouds  below,  there  was 
a  reviving  light  —  a  faint  flush  which  lighted  up  the 
misty  surface  in  a  strange,  supernatural  way,  —  and 
at  length  the  gloom  of  night  stole  across  the  whole 
scene. 

AN    EXCURSION    TO    TUCKERMAN's    RAVINE. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  warm  and  pleasant  after- 
noon, I  made  an  excursion  to  the  head  and  the  north 
side  of  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Nelson.  The  temperature  was  comparatively  mild 
at  the  summit,  ranging  from  26°  at  seven  A.  M.,  up 
to  34°  at  two  P.  M.,  and  down  to  25°  at  seven  p.  M. 
We  proceeded  down  the  carriage  road  a  little  dis- 


268  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

tance,  and  then  struck  off  directly  down  the  moun- 
tain side  over  a  course  that  would  be  impassable  in 
summer.  In  places,  the  snow  was  five  or  six  feet 
deep,  and  the  sun  had  made  it  so  soft  that  we  occa- 
sionally sank  to  a  considerable  depth.  At  times  we 
had  to  proceed  with  much  care  and  caution  for  fear 
of  starting  the  whole  mass  in  a  slide.  We  soon 
reached  the  plateau  below,  which  was  covered  with 
snow  only  in  places,  and  turning  our  steps  south- 
ward, quickly  made  our  way  over  the  intervening 
mile  to  the  Ravine.  It  was  warm  and  spring-like 
behind  the  cone  of  Mount  Washington,  and  the 
snows  of  the  summit  were  melting  into  countless 
little  streams  which  murmured  among  the  rocks 
beneath  our  feet,  or  saturated  the  lichens  and 
sedges  to  the  condition  of  a  well  filled  sponge.  One 
needs  to  be  well  clad  about  the  feet  to  travel  among 
the  mountains  in  either  winter  or  spring.  Skirting 
the  head  of  the  tremendous  abyss,  we  reached 
the  north  brink,  and  making  our  way  as  best  we 
could  through  the  deep  snow  and  over  the  stunted 
trees,  descended  a  considerable  distance.  The  snow 
covering  the  jagged,  little  trees  was  so  soft  that  we 
frequently  broke  through  to  the  depth  of  several  feet, 
and  perchance  became  entangled  in  the  branches. 
We  found  a  more  practicable  way  back,  and  man- 
aged to  avoid  both  trees  and  snow  by  keeping  to 
the  rocks. 


TUCKERMAN'S  RAVINE.  269 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt  any  description 
of  the  vast,  rocky  amphitheatre,  for  few  White 
Mountain  visitors  have  neglected  to  view  it  with 
their  own  eyes,  and  furthermore,  language  is  weak 
in  describing  such  stupendous  features  in  mountain 
scenery.  A  great  number  of  little  rills  trickled 
down  the  walls  of  the  Ravine,  forming  into  a  stream 
of  considerable  size,  which  made  merry  music  as  it 
danced  along  its  rocky,  precipitous  bed,  on  its  way 
to  the  bright  and  inviting  valley  below,  and  the 
deeper  bass  of  the  larger  cascades  came  up'to  our 
ears  softened  by  the  distance.  The  Titanic  barriers 
of  the  Ravine  formed  the  frame  of  a  most  beautiful 
picture  which  included  some  of  the  most  lovely  por- 
tions of  the  Saco  valley  and  the  Conway  meadows, 
with  a  background  of  mountains.  Glancing  upward 
to  the  lofty  brow  of  Mount  Washington,  we  seemed 
transported  from  the  region  of  spring  to  the  home 
of  hoary  winter  —  from  the  verdant  tree-tops  and 
pleasant  meadows  adovvn  the  Saco,  to  the  seemingly 
exhaustless  stores  of  snow  garnered  from  the  cold 
and  cheerless  clouds,  which  even  now  enshrouded 
the  summit  like  an  impenetrable  gray  mantle.  The 
winter  snows  had  poured  over  the  head  of  the 
Ravine  and  remained  in  a  huge  bank  reaching  from 
the  bottom  to  the  very  top,  but  the  quantity  was 
probably  less  than  is  usual  at  the  same  time  of  the 
year,  and  subsequent  warm  weather  diminished  it 
greatly. 


270  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

From  Tuckerman's  Ravine  we  retraced  our  steps 
for  a  mile  or  so,  and  visited  another  enormous 
chasm,  of  which  visitors  to  Mount  Washington 
ordinarily  hear  little  and  see  less.  In  fact,  it  is  not 
discernible  from  any  of  the  travelled  roads  or  paths. 
It  is  much  narrower  than  Tuckerman's,  but  to 
appearances,  nearly  if  not  fully  as  deep,  and  the 
walls  are  equally  as  precipitous  —  in  one  place 
actually  overhanging.  The  head  of  the  ravine,  un- 
like Tuckerman's,  forms  an  angle,  and  affords  but 
little  lodgment  for  the  snow.  Before  returning  to 
the  summit,  we  also  paid  a  visit  to  the  northernmost 
spur  of  the  mountain,  opposite  Mount  Adams,  mak- 
ing our  way  back  across  lots,  reaching  the  protect- 
ing roof  of  the  Observatory  soon  after  sunset. 

A   DAY'S   TRAMP    AMID   THE    CLOUDS. 

Saturday,  May  6th,  was  an  unusually  warm  day 
at  the  summit,  the  thermometer  once  standing  at 
56°  in  the  shade.  There  were  clouds  below  as 
usual,  and  the  sun's  heat  refracted  therefrom  with 
increased  power.  Prof.  Hitchcock  and  a  companion 
had  made  an  excursion  to  Mount  Adams  a  week 
previous,  and  Mr.  Nelson  and  myself  determined 
to  perform  the  same  journey.  We  indulged  in  the 
vain  hope  that  the  clouds  would  dissipate  or  pass 
away  before  we  reached  our  destination,  although 
the  entire  country,  except  a  little  patch  down  the 


A  DAY'S  TRAMP.  271 

Saco  valley,  in  the  direction  of  Jackson  and  North 
Conway,  was  obscured  when  we  set  out  from  the 
Observatory,  about  nine  o'clock.  Proceeding  down 
the  railway  as  far  as  the  Gulf  Tank,  we  struck  off 
northward,  by  the  head  of  the  Great  Gulf,  and 
thence  onward  to  Mount  Clay.  There  is  no  beaten 
track  between  Mount  Washington  and  Mount 
Adams,  but  the  way  cannot  easily  be  missed  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  for  the  traveller  has  only 
to  keep  along  the  ridges  of  Mount  Clay,  Mount 
Jefferson,  and  Mount  Adams  successively,  until  the 
high  peak  of  the  latter  is  reached.  The  whole  dis- 
tance lies  far  above  the  line  of  trees,  and  for  the 
greater  part  above  an  elevation  of  five  thousand  feet 
from  the  sea-level.  Mount  Adams  is  the  next  high- 

O 

est  peak  of  the  White  Mountain  range  to  Mount 
Washington,  its  elevation  being  5,794  feet.  To 
reach  it  by  the  route  above  mentioned,  we  were 
compelled  to  walk  fully  five  miles,  and  to  overcome 
the  following  inequalities,  according  to  Mr.  Vose's 
measurements  of  the  elevation  of  the  several  peaks 
and  gaps :  First,  we  had  to  descend  about  874 
feet  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington  to  the 
gap  between  Washington  and  Clay,  elevation  5,417 
feet;  then  ascend  136  feet  to  the  summit  of  Clay, 
elevation  5,553  feet ;  descend  574  feet  to  the  gap 
between  Clay  and  Jefferson,  elevation  4,979  feet ; 
ascend  735  feet  to  the  highest  point  of  Jefferson, 


272        '  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

elevation  5,714  feet ;  descend  775  feet  to  the  gap 
between  Jefferson  and  Adams,  elevation  4,939  feet ; 
and  finally  ascend  855  feet  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Adams.  These  figures,  however,  fail  to  represent 
the  actual  amount  of  up-hill  and  down-hill  work  to 
be  accomplished,  for  there  is  a  succession  of  lesser 
peaks,  each  of  which  must  in  turn  be  scaled.  Most 
persons  who  visit  the  mountains  are  inclined  to  look 
contemptuously  upon  Mount  Clay,  regarding  it  as 
an  insignificant  pile  of  stones  compared  with  its 
proud  neighbors,  Washington  and  Jefferson.  Let 
them  but  undertake  a  journey  over  it, -as  We  did, 
and  they  will  certainly  change  their  opinions. 
There  is  seemingly  enough  of  it  to  represent  every 
member  of  the  Clay  family,  dead  or  living.  It  is 
a  long  ridge  of  little  peaks  made  up  of  rough, 
jagged  rocks,  which  are  most  uncomfortable  to 
clamber  over.  The  snow  was  in  some  places  several 
feet  in  depth,  and  long  before  we  reached  the  sides 
of  Mount  Adams,  where  it  appeared  to  be  the 
deepest,  it  had  grown  very  soft  and  yielding.  In 
crossing  the  plateau  on  the  south  side  of  Mount 
Adams,  instead  of  keeping  upon  the  ridge  at  a 
greater  elevation,  as  we  should  have  done,  we  fre- 
quently found  ourselves  entangled  in  the  branches 
of  the  stunted  trees. 

Arriving  at  the  top  of  the  little  heap  of  stones 
forming  the  summit,  about  noon,  we  were   not  a 


A   TRAMP  IN  THE   CLOUDS.  273 

little  disappointed  to  discover  that  the  whole  of  the 
surrounding  country  was  still  covered  by  clouds. 
A  broad  furrow,  stretching  miles  away  both  north- 
ward and  eastward,  indicated  where  the  Andros- 
coggin  valley  was  situated,  but  nought  could  be 
seen  of  the  river  itself.  The  cloud  line  generally 
rested  about  four  thousand  feet  high,  or  about  on  a 
level  with  the  limit  of  trees  on  the  mountain  sides, 
so  that  the  sections  seen  were  only  the  rocky,  snow- 
clad  peaks.  Mount  Washington  stood  forth  in 
grand  majesty,  although  we  could  see  only  its  upper 
half.  The  long  ridge  of  Mount  Carter  lifted  itself 
above  the  surface  of  the  shadowy  sea,  looking  "  very 
like  a  whale !  "  Some  of  the  snow  capped  peaks  of 
Maine  were  also  to  be  seen,  but  all  else,  save  the 
nearer  White  Mountain  range,  was  sunk  beneath  the 
vast  ocean  which  stretched  far  away  on  every 
side. 

We  devoured  our  dinner  of  "  hard-tack,"  wash- 
ing it  down  with  pure  snow-water,  and  then  inscrib- 
ing our  names  upon  an  old  sardine  box  which  had 
evidently  served  as  a  sort  of  visitors'  register  for 
nearly  a  dozen  years,  started  to  return.  Tumultu- 
ous clouds  rose  angrily  in  the  southwest,  as  if  to 
drive  us  back  from  their  domain.  The  prospect  of 
having  to  grope  our  way  back  over  an  uncertain 
path,  in  the  clouds,  was  not  particularly  pleasant, 
but  it  was  one  we  were  compelled  to  accept,  for  we 

18 


274  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

were  soon  engulfed  by  the  huge,  fleecy  masses 
which  rose  in  the  west  and  drifted  over  the  moun- 
tains. While  upon  Mount  Adams,  and  at  other 
points  in  our  journey,  we  heard  the  shouts  of  our 
friends  on  Mount  Washington  very  distinctly,  not- 
withstanding the  distance  from  peak  to  peak,  in  a 
direct  line,  is  at  least  three  miles,  and  we  were  told 
on  our  return  that  our  progress  had  been  watched 
very  minutely  with  the  aid  of  the  telescopes,  our 
staffs  and  footprints  in  the  snow,  even,  being  dis- 
cernible.  Up  and  down  the  sides  of  Lafa^etle^alm 

i.  i^*— - — ^    * 

across  the  greater  part  of  Clay,  we  were  compelled 
to  grope  our  way  through  the  clouds.  Where  the 
snow  remained  we  could  retrace  our  footsteps,  but 
these  frequently  led  over  trackless  rocks  or  bare 
patches  of  sedge.  The  ridge  in  places  is  narrow, 
and  a  deviation  from  the  proper  course  might  lead 
us  into  the  deep  ravines  on  either  side.  The  clouds 
gathered  thicker  and  thicker,  at  times  clearing  away 
sufficiently,  however,  to  show  us  our  course  ahead, 
and  by  fixing  our  pathway  at  such  times  with  a  com- 
pass, following  our  foot-prints  where  they  could  be 
traced  in  the  snow,  or  guiding  ourselves  on  the 
ridge  between  the  falling  waters  which  could  be 
heard  on  either  side,  we  finally  reached  the  railway, 
which  is  a  sure  and  safe  pilot  to  the  summit  of 
Mount  Washington.  It  was  a  long,  weary  journey, 
however,  and  we  did  not  reach  the  depot  until  after 
seven  o'clock. 


THE   GHOSTLY  ARMIES.  275 

In  ascending  the  cone  of  Mount  Washington,  we 
again  got  above  the  cloud  level,  and  enjoyed  a  rare 
sunset  scene.  We  also  witnessed  a  veritable  battle 
of  the  clouds.  The  wind,  which  had  been  very 
light  throughout  the  day,  had  appeared  to  come 
from  different  directions  at  different  points  —  now 
from  the  east,  in  another  place  from  the  north  or 
northwest,  and  again  from  the  west  or  southwest. 
We  had  ascended  a  little  distance  above  the  Gulf 
Tank,  when  we  turned  and  observed  two  ghostly 
armies  approaching  each  other  —  one  from  the 
direction  of  Mount  Monroe,  and  the  other  from  out 
the  depths  of  the  Great  Gulf.  Noiselessly  they 
marched  onward,  and  the  conflict  came  near  the  gap 
between  Mounts  Washington  and  Clay.  The  bat- 
tle was  short  and  decisive.  Little  fragments  of 
cloud,  like  wreaths  of  smoke,  were  flung  high  in 
air,  and  there  seemed  a  momentary  indecision,  but 
the  fleecy  forms  from  the  southwest  were  soon  flee- 
ing before  the  fast  gathering  hosts  of  the  east,  until 
all  were  commingled  in  one  shadowy  mass. 

MORE    WINTRY   WEATHER. 

In  the  course  of  the  twenty-four  hours  succeed- 
ing our  visit  to  Mount  Adams,  we  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  reflect  upon  the  changeableness  and  uncer- 
tainty of  mountain  weather.  After  a  genial  and 
delightful  day  on  the  6th,  the  summit  became  envel- 


276  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

oped  in  clouds  in  the  early  evening,  and  rain  began 
to  fall  by  nine  o'clock.  Before  morning  the  rain 
turned  to  snow,  and  a  furious  gale  set  in.  The 
thermometer  which  had  indicated  56°  Saturday 
morning  had  descended  to  25°  at  the  same  hour 
Sunday  morning,  and  Monday  morning  it  marked 
15°.  For  nearly  forty-eight  hours  the  snow  fell, 
or  rather  drifted  over  the  summit  in  clouds,  and  the 
tempest  raged  with  great  fury.  Huge  banks  of 
snow  formed  against  the  sides  of  the  buildings  and 
along  the  line  of  the  railway,  more  than  replacing 
those  which  had  almost  disappeared  under  the  warm 
influence  of  Saturday's  sun.  After  nightfall  on 
Sunday  the  storm  seemed  to  increase  in  force,  and 
it  was  thought  that  the  wind  at  times  readied  a 
velocity  of  nearly  if  not  quite  ninety  miles  an  hour. 
Beneath  the  force  of  the  terrific  blasts,  the  building 
which  sheltered  us  trembled  and  writhed  like  a  ship 
in  an  ocean  tempest.  No  one  ventured  out  of  doors 
except  to  make  the  required  observations  with  the 
anemometer,  and  there  were  times  when  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  withstand  the  fury  of  the 
storm.  Warmth  and  comfort  reigned  within,  but 
the  creaking  of  the  timbers  and  chains  and  the 
surging,  seething  roar  of  the  storm  were  frightful  to 
hear.  Each  plank  and  timber  in  the  whole  structure 
seemed  to  have  a  particular  creak  and  groan  of  its 
own,  and  a  thousand  demons  appeared  to  rage  with- 


THE  DESCENT.  '  277 

out.  Yet  the  storm  was  much  less  severe  than 
many  which  had  been  encountered  at  the  summit 
during  the  winter.  I  had  chanced  to  be  present 
during  a  much  more  furious  assault  of  the  ele- 
ments, in  February,  but  nevertheless,  the  storm  of 
May  7th  and  8th  was  something  long  to  be  remem 
bered. 

THE    DESCENT. 

Having  already  been  detained  at  the  mountain- 
top  longer  than  I  desired,  in  consequence  of  the 
storm,  I  availed  myself  of  the  earliest  abatement  of 
the  tempest  to  descend.  To  have  attempted  the 
journey  on  Monday  would  have  been  both  difficult 
and  dangerous,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  could  have 
been  performed  in  such  a  storm.  On  Tuesday,  the 
9th,  it  continued  cloudy  at  the  summit,  but  the 
storm  had  passed.  Immense  quantities  of  snow  had 
fallen  and  the  average  depth  for  a  mile  and  a  half 
down  the  mountain  side  was  at  least  three  feet.  It 
was  unsafe  walking  upon  the  railway,  for  the  snow 
made  the  ties  and  stringers  slippery  and  treacher- 
ous, and  it  became  necessary  to  take  to  the  rocks. 
From  the  summit  to  Jacob's  Ladder,  the  best  course 
was  to  keep  beside  the  railway.  At  that  point  the 
old  Fabyan  bridle-path  is  crossed,  and  this  formed 
an  easier  route  until  the  railway  was  again  reached, 
a  short  distance  above  the  Waumbek  station.  The 


278  MOUNT  WASHINGTON  IN  MAY. 

snow  was  very  deep  far  down  into  the  forests,  and 
it  made  a  pitfall  of  every  hole  and  crevice,  but 
there  was  an  advantage  in  having  soft  places  to  fall 
upon.  As  I  had  neglected  to  provide  myself  with 
snow-shoes,  I  could  make  but  slow  progress  through 
the  deep  snows,  but  upon  the  lower  slopes  there 
was  a  much  less  quantity  of  snow,  and  the  little 
there  was  made  a  better  surface  to  walk  upon  than 
the  bare  rocks  and  earth  alone  would  have  fur- 
nished. 

Emerging  from  the  cloud  which  enwrapped  the 
summit  in  its  icy  folds,  I  beheld  a  most  glorious 
scene.  At  first  the  misty  curtain  was  withdrawn  just 
far  enough  to  bring  the  valley  of  the  Ammonoosuc 
and  the  more  distant  green  hills  of  Vermont  into  view 
—  a  landscape  of  incomparable  beauty,  framed  and 
tinged  by  the  neutral  gray  of  the  drifting  mists. 
Soon  the  surrounding  peaks  were  added  to  the  pic- 
ture. A  snowy  mantle  was  spread  over  them  all, 
and  little  patches  of  sunlight  played  about  their  sum- 
mits or  shot  down  their  slopes  like  shafts  of  bur- 
nished silver.  The  frost  formations  near  the  sum- 
mit of  Mount  Washington  were  very  extensive  and 
very  beautiful.  In  the  forests  below  they  were  more 
delicate,  and  seemingly  more  beautiful  still.  They 
covered  every  bush,  twig,  and  bit  of  hanging  moss, 
while  the  snow  which  had  fallen  upon  the  branches 
formed  a  canopy  of  the  same  spotless  purity.  One 


FROM  MIDWINTER  TO  SPRING.  279 

looked  through  long  vistas  of  exquisitely  carved 
columns  and  arches,  here  and  there  bedecked  with  a 
sprig  of  living  emerald,  and  intertwined  with  cur- 
tains and  festoonings  of  ermine.  It  was  surely  a 
glimpse  into  fairy-land. 

There  were  some  two  inches  of  snow  about  the 
depot  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  but  in  the  seven 
miles'  walk  from  thence  to  the  White  Mountain 
House  —  from  which  point  further  locomotion  was 
had  by  horse  power  to  a  railroad  connection  at 
Whitefield  —  all  trace  of  winter,  save  in  the  view 
backward  toward  the  mountains,  was  lost.  It  was 
a  sudden  transition  from  midwinter  back  to  spring. 
In  the  clear  atmosphere  the  mountain  chain  we 
were  fast  leaving  behind  us  stood  out  in  bold  relief, 
and  we  lingered  long  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill,  half 
a  mile  up  the  turnpike  from  the  Notch  road,  to 
enjoy  the  beautiful  prospect  that  spot  above  all 
others  affords. 


PAET  THIRD. 

METEOROLOGY  OF  MOUNT  WASHINGTON. 

INTRODUCTION. 

HAT  a  knowledge  of  the  climatology  of 
a  country  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
welfare  of  its  people,  is  not  to-day  a  mooted 
question.  From  being  a  matter  of  mere  conjecture 
it  has  come  to  be  a  subject  of  inquiry  and  investiga- 
tion. Many  things  have  a  bearing  upon  the  ques- 
tion :  electric  phenomena ;  the  formation,  course, 
and  progress  of  storms ;  the  average  temperature 
and  rainfall,  and  the  fluctuations  to  which  the  ele- 
ments are  subject.  Indirectly,  the  knowledge  de- 
rived from  the  investigation  of  these  phenomena,  is 
a  benefit  to  all,  but  especially  is  it  of  direct  advan- 
tage to  the  two  most  important  vocations,  —  com- 
merce and  agriculture.  Although  the  different  phe- 
nomena of  meteorology  have  occupied  the  attention 
of  mankind  from  time  immemorial,  it  is  most  fre- 
quently only  the  application  of  the  laws  of  physics 
to  a  particular  class  of  phenomena,  "  therefore  it 


282  INTRODUCTION. 

could  make  no  real  progress  until  other  sciences, 
and  especially  physics,  were  sufficiently  advanced 
to  constitute  a  satisfactory  body  of  doctrines." 

The  discoveries  in  electricity,  the  most  important 
branch  of  physics  for  meteorology,  date  back  scarcely 
a  century,  and  hardly  twenty  years  have  elapsed 
since  scientific  societies  and  governments  com- 
menced systematic  operations.  The  knowledge  of 
storms  furnished  by  Redfield,  Reid,  etc.,  "  suggested 
the  possibility  of  inaugurating  a  system  of  weather 
observations,  and  of  using  the  results  for  the  benefit 
of  commerce  and  navigation  both  on  the  sea  and 
laud.  The  giving  effect  to  this  idea,  as  Buchan 
remarks,  constitutes  the  splendid  contribution  to 
practical  meteorology  made  by  Admiral  Fitzroy  in 
February,  1861,  by  the  system  of  storm-warnings 
or  forecasts,  which  has  since  been  adopted  by  almost 
every  country  in  Europe."  The  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  in  April  1870,  passed  a  law  establish- 
ing a  "  Bureau  of  Telegrams  and  Reports  for  the 
benefit  of  Commerce."  "  With  quiet  activity,"  it 
was  speedily  organized  and  equipped. 

The  last  of  October  it  had  its  corps  of  observers 
in  the  field,  and  on  the  first  of  November  the  first 
official  storm-warnings  were  made.  Scarcely  half 
a  dozen  forecasts  were  published,  when  it  was  evi- 
dent that  this  was  the  most  important  service  ever 
organized  by  the  government. 


VALUE   OF  THE  OBSERVATIONS.          283 

The  observations  taken  by  individuals,  each 
working  after  a  method  of  his  own,  are  interesting 
in  themselves,  but  lacking  uniformity  they  are  of 
little  value  as  compared  with  those  taken  under  one 
organization,  each  observer  being  furnished  with 
standard  instruments,  and  all  taking  observations 
simultaneously.  The  observations  taken  under  the 
direction  of  the  British  Board  of  Admiralty,  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  and  the  United  States 
Storm  Signal  Service,  with  their  trained,  educated 
observers,  everything  reduced  to  a  perfect  system, 
and  giving  daily  reports  and  forecasts  of  storms,  will 
reduce  meteorology  to  such  an  exact  science  that 
the  probabilities,  which  are  drawn  from  observa- 
tions taken,  will  amount  to  almost  an  absolute  cer- 
tainty. My  object  in  occupying  Mount  Washington, 
was  if  possible,  by  studying  the  upper  currents  of 
the  air,  to  add  something  to  our  knowledge  of 
meteorology.  Is  there  any  one  that  doubts,  but  that 
our  atmospheric  disturbances  are  governed  by  fixed 
laws  ?  If  they  are,  then,  if  we  are  able  to  under- 
stand these  laws  we  ought  just  as  surely  to  be  able 
to  give  forecasts  of  the  weather,  as  to  foretell  the 
changes  of  the  planets.  That  we  were  not  mis- 
taken in  supposing  Mount  Washington  to  be  a 
desirable  point  for  meteorological  observations,  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter  from  Professor  Cleve- 
land Abbe,  Director  of  the  Cincinnati  Observatory 
and  Assistant  in  the  Signal  Service  will  show :  — 


284  INTRODUCTION. 

"  Thus  far,  as  regards  the  cold  period,  I  am  able 
to  verify  your  statement,  and  also  to  add  that  the 
cloudy,  drizzly  and  cold  raw  weather  continues  here 
below  a  few  hours  after  it  begins  to  moderate  over- 
head. The  cold  upper  winds,  as  reported  from 
Cheyenne  and  Mount  Washington,  are  sure  to  be 
followed  by  cold,  cloudy  weather  for  a  long  distance 
south.  The  hygrometric  observations  from  the 
mountain  stations  are  however  of  still  more  impor- 
tance. Although  these  require  very  large  cor- 
rection, which  are  not  given  in  Guyot's  tables, 
yet  I  manage  daily  to  derive  information  which 
foretells  the  coming  storm,  and  would  do  so  far 
more  accurately  had  we  two  other  stations  distant 
one  to  three  hundred  miles.  Especially  do  I  value 
the  Mount  Washington  record  in  the  study  of  the 
rapidity  of  the  motion  of  small  areas  of  high  and 
low  pressure.  This  has  been  to  me  the  most  im- 
portant part  of  my  work  since  I  entered  upon  my 
duties  in  January,  and  I  feel  the  great  advantage 
that  we  possess  over  the  English  meteorological 
observers,  in  that  we,  at  once,  have  been  able  to 
enter  upon  the  study  of  that  which  they  after  many 
years  experience  are  only  now  able  to  begin  to 
study.  I  think,  my  dear  sir,  that  meteorology  and 
our  Signal  Service  are  under  great  obligations  to 
you  for  your  successful  efforts  to  carry  on  your 
meteorological  observations  during  the  winter  on 
Mount  Washington." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    FROST-WORK    AND    CLOUDS. 

HE  frost-work  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able phenomena  of  this  high  altitude.  It 
is  difficult  to  convey  in  words  any  idea  of 
its  wonderful  form  and  beauty.  It  was  not  easy 
at  first  to  understand  how  it  could  be  formed,  but 
from  the  study  given  to  it  last  winter,  and  the  op- 
portunities we  have  had  of  observing  its  formation 
this,  we  are  able  to  give  a  plausible,  if  not  a  cor- 
rect theory  to  account  for  this,  the  most  plastic  of 
all  the  handiwork  of  nature. 

HOW    FORMED. 

At  our  first  observation,  we  see  that  it  forms  only 
when  the  wind  is  northward,  i.  e.  at  some  point  be- 
tween north  and  west  or  north  and  east,  and  never 
when  the  wind  is  southward.  It  begins  with  mere 
points,  on  everything  the  wind  reaches :  on  the  rocks, 
on  the  snow,  on  the  railway,  and  on  every  part  of 
the  buildings,  even  on  the  glass.  On  the  south  side 
of  the  buildings  and  the  high  rocks  it  is  very  slight, 


286         THE  FROST-WORK  AND   CLOUDS. 

as  the  wind  reaches  there  only  in  eddying  gusts. 
When  the  surface  is  rough,  the  points,  as  they  be- 
gin are  an  inch  or  more  apart ;  when  smooth  it 
almost  entirely  covers  the  surface  at  the  very  begin- 
ning, but  soon  only  a  few  points  elongate,  so  that 
on  whatever  surface  it  begins  to  form,  it  has  very 
soon  the  same  general  appearance,  presenting 
everywhere  the  same  beautiful,  feathery-like  forms. 

"  Thus  Nature  works,  as  if  defying  art ; 
And  in  defiance  of  her  rival  powers, 
Performing  such  inimitable  feats, 
As  she  with  all  her  rules  can  never  reach." 

When  the  ice  which  has  formed  on  the  rocks  is 
transparent  and  the  frost-work  forms  on  this,  we  can 
often  see  in  the  interstices  of  the  frost-work,  which 
is  purely  white,  the  gray  rocks  and  the  many 
colored  lichens,  the  whole  making  a  picture  of  rare 
beauty.  In  going  up  the  mountain  we  do  not  see  the 
frost-work  until  we  get  some  distance  above  the  limit 
of  the  trees ;  it  is  nearly  a  mile  before  it  is  seen  in 
its  characteristic  forms,  and  it  is  only  immediately 
about  the  summit  that  it  presents  its  most  attractive 
features.  We  notice  also,  that  it  always  forms 
toward  the  wind,  never  from  it,  and  the  rapidity 
with  which  it  forms,  and  the  great  length  of  the 
horizontal  masses,  is  truly  wonderful.  We  placed  a 
round  stick,  an  inch  in  diameter,  in  a  vertical  posi- 
tion, where  it  was  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the 


FROST  FEATHERS 
Formed  against  the  northwest  wind. 


SOLID  ICE 
Formed  upon  the  rocks  when  the  wind  came  from  the  South. 


MASSES  OF  ICE.  287 

wind,  and  in  less  than  two  days  some  of  the  hori- 
zontal icicles  —  we  call  them  icicles  for  the  want  of 
a  more  appropriate  name  —  were  two  feet  in  length 
and  scarcely  any  thicker  than  the  stick  itself.  They 
formed  on  every  part  of  the  stick  that  was  exposed, 
but  of  course  some  points  were  much  longer  than 
others.  They  remained  several  days,  but  with 
a  change  of  wind  they  were  blown  off.  On  the 
piles  of  stones  south  of  the  house,  these  horizontal 
masses  are  sometimes  five  or  six  feet  in  length. 
Although  these  masses  are  often  as  hard  as  the 
hardest  ice,  yet  throughout  they  are  as  white  as 
the  purest  snow. 

On  the  southern  exposures,  instead  of  the  frost- 
work —  especially  on  the  telegraph  poles  along  the 
railway,  —  there  are  only  masses  of  pure  ice,  which 
have  always  a  peculiar  hue  of  greenish  blue,  which 
is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  pure  white  of  the 
frost-work  on  the  side  opposite. 

In  the  early  part  of  December,  when  the  ther- 
mometer ranged  from  25°  to  29°,  and  the  wind  was 
southward,  the  ice  formed  to  the  thickness  of  a  foot 
or  more  on  the  telegraph  poles  near  the  house. 
These  icy  masses  are  formed  evidently  bv  the  con- 
densation of  the  yapor  of  the  atmosphere,  as  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  the  air  to  be  above  the  point  of  satu- 
ration. The  frost-work  is  also  formed  by  the  con- 
densation of  vapor,  but  besides  the  vapor,  the  air 


288         THE  FROST-WORK  AND  CLOUDS. 

must  be  filled  with  minute  spiculse  of  ice.  As  the 
vapor  condenses  these  are  caught,  and  thus  the  hori- 
zontal, feathery  masses  are  formed.  This  accounts 
for  the  facts  that  we  have  observed,  namely,  that  it 
forms  when  the  wind  is  northward  and  always  toward 
the  wind. 

THE    CLOUDS. 

Mountains  without  clouds  are  spiritless  and  tame. 
It  is  true,  that  on  high  summits  even  under  a  noon- 
day sun,  when  there  is  some  haze  in  the  atmosphere, 
we  get  an  idea  of  immensity  that  we  could  not  be- 
fore comprehend,  but  on  the  same  heights  with 
clouds  floating  gracefully  around  the  distant  peaks 
or  their  shadows  flitting  across  illimitable  forests, 
we  have  besides,  a  beauty  and  a  grandeur,  of  which 
one  who  has  never  looked  upon  a  cloud-scene  from 
a  mountain-summit  "  has  as  little  imagination  or 
understanding  as  he  has  of  the  scenery  of  another 
planet  than  his  own."  I  suppose  we  might  stay 
here  a  lifetime  and  not  see  a  single  cloud  effect  re- 
peated ;  we  might  see  something  similar,  but  in  its 
details  each  would  be  unlike  that  which  preceded 
it.  Hence  the  attraction  is  ever  new,  and  each 
succeeding  day  reveals  new  glories  not  seen  before. 
In  summer,  often  in  the  morning,  the  fogs  lie  along 
the  valleys,  over  the  lakes  and  streams.  When 
the  sun  warms  the  air,  these  fogs  rise  and  form 
clouds  that  pass  over  the  summits  and  float  away  to 


A  SEA   OF  MIST.  289 

be  redissolved  as  they  meet  the  warmer  currents  of 
the  air,  or  to  be  augmented,  when  they  meet  the 
cooler  currents.  In  winter  the  cloud  effects  are 
quite  different  from  those  of  summer.  Often  we 
stand  on  the  summit  and  look  forth  upon  an  illimit- 
able sea  of  mist  glittering  in  the  bright  sunlight, 
while  every  peak,  except  that  on  which  we  stand,  is 
concealed  by  clouds.  So  it  is  not  uncommon  for  it 
to  be  a  dark  day  in  the  valleys  while  on  the  summit 
we  are  in  the  bright  sunlight.  Sometimes  the  clouds 
are  two  thousand  feet  below  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington;  in  that  case  innumerable  mountain 
peaks  protrude  and  seem  like  islands  in  an  ocean 
bounded  only  by  the  sky.  In  winter  these  cloud- 
effects  continue  often  a  whole  day  almost  un- 
changed. 

These  scenes  naturally  suggest  Bayard  Taylor's 
"  Hymn  to  the  Air,  —  " 

"  What  is  the  scenery  of  earth  to  thine  ? 
Here  all  is  fixed  in  everlasting  shapes  ; 
But  where  the  realms  of  gorgeous  cloudland  shine, 

There  stretch  afar  thy  sun-illumined  capes, 
Embaying  reaches  of  the  amber  seas 

Of  sunset,  on  whose  tranquil  bosom  lie 

The  happy  islands  of  the  upper  sky, 
The  halcyon  shores  of  thine  Atlantides. 
Anon  the  airy  headlands  change,  and  drift 

Into  sublimer  forms,  that  slowly  heave 

Their  toppling  masses  up  the  front  of  eve, 
Crag  heaped  on  crag,  with  many  a  fiery  rift, 

And  hoary  summits,  throned  beyond  the  reach 
19 


290  FROST-WORK  AND  CLOUDS. 

Of  Alps  or  Caucasus;  again  they  change, 
And  down  the  vast,  interminable  range 

Of  towers  and  palaces,  transcending  each, 

The  workmanship  of  Fable-land  we  see 
The  "crystal  hyaline"  of  Heaven's  own  floor, — 

The  radiance  of  far  Eternity 

Reflected  on  thy  shore !  " 

At  times  the  whole  country  westward  is  covered 
with  clouds  which  are  moving  eastward,  but  when 
they  pass  the  ridge  that  runs  south  to  the  Notch 
they  are  redissolved  as  they  meet  the  warmer  cur- 
rents, and  the  air  is  then  as  transparent  as  if  there 
was  but  a  single  cloud  westward.  It  has  not,  to 
my  knowledge,  ever  rained  or  snowed  in  the  val- 
leys when  there  was  only  a  single  stratum  of  cloud 
spread  over  the  country  at  this  low  elevation.  It 
has  been  noticed  by  aeronauts,  "  that  when  there  is 
rain  from  a  sky  completely  covered  with  clouds, 
there  is  always  a  similar  range  of  clouds  situated 
above  at  a  certain  height ;  and  that  on  the  contrary, 
when  it  does  not  rain,  although  the  sky  presents 
below  the  same  appearance,  the  space  situated  im- 
diately  above,  as  a  dominant  character,  has  a  great 
extent  of  clear  sky,  with  a  sun  unobstructed  by  a 
single  cloud.  This  explains  why  a  similar  state  of 
things  frequently  exists.  —  a  very  cloudy,  overcast 
sky  without  a  drop  of  rain." 


FORMATION  OF  CLOUDS.  291 

CLOUDS    FROM   THE    OCEAN. 

It  is  one  of  the  sublime  scenes  on  Mount  Wash- 
ington, to  watch  the  clouds  as  they  come  moving  in 
solid  phalanx  from  the  ocean.  The  upper  surface 
is  generally  higher  than  Mount  Pleasant  in  Maine, 
hardly  as  high  as  the  summit  of  Pequawket,  or 
the  Carter  Range.  When  lower  than  the  Carter 
Range  it  is  frequently  the  case  that  the  clouds  come 
into  the  deep  ravines  between  Mount  Washington 
and  the  Carter  Range,  both  from  the  north  and  the 
south.  In  every  instance  when  the  clouds  have 
come  in  thus  from  the  sea,  there  has  been  a  storm 
the  same  day  or  the  day  following,  not  only  on  the 
mountain  but  throughout  New  England.  When 
the  clouds  have  come  thus  from  the  eastward,  the 
wind  on  Mount  Washington  has  been  west  or  south- 
west. The  clouds,  when  a  storm  "has  approached 
from  the  south,  have  always  been  at  a  high  eleva- 
tion, and  they  seem  to  be  continually  augmented  as 
they  come  northward,  extending  over  the  high 
mountain  summits  ;  although  far  above  them,  a  col- 
umn would  be  formed  from  each  summit  to  the 
mass  above.  The  gradual  formation  of  the  cloud 
is  easily  explained.  The  moisture-laden  atmos- 
phere from  the  south,  coming  in  contact  with  the 
colder  currents  north,  the  vapor  is  condensed.  In 
the  vicinity  of  the  snow-clad  mountain  summits,  it 


292  FROST-WORK  AND  CLOUDS. 

is  quite  probable  that  there  is  a  colder  stratum  of 
air,  hence  the  column  extending  to  the  clouds  above. 
Instead  of  a  great  sea  of  mist,  or  a  storm  gradually 
approaching,  the  clouds  may  be  driven  by  fierce 
winds  into  "  boiling  heaps  of  illuminated  mist, 
furrowed  by  a  thousand  colossal  ravines,"  or  dashed 
against  the  jutting  cliffs  and  crags,  being  thrown 
like  spray  hundreds  of  feet  into  the  air  to  be  caught 
again  by  the  wind  and  hurled  down  into  the  seeth- 
ing depths.  No  pen,  no  pencil,  can  portray  the 
grandeur  of  the  scene,  when  these  clouds  are 
touched  with  rose-tinted  amber  light,  while  into  the 
depths  of  the  chasms  formed  by  the  whirling  mist, 
shadows  fall  dark  as  night,  or  when  the  sea  of  clouds 
with  "  mighty  icebergs  floating  in  it,"  extends  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  or  the  forest-clad  peaks 
protruding  above  its  surface,  the  bosom  of  the 
sea  apparently  as  smooth  as  polished  marble,  then 
perchance  agitated  by  slightly  undulating  swells,  or 
rolling  in  waves  burnished  with  silver  and  tipped 
with  gold. 

The  coronas  encircling  the  sun,  the  luminous 
glow  surrounding  our  shadows  as  they  are  thrown 
far  out  upon  the  clouds,  the  supernumerary  bows 
continuing  for  hours,  and  many  cloud  scenes,  are 
described  by  Mr.  Nelson  in  his  journal. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    WIND. 

ERY  few  persons  have  any  idea  of  the 
velocity  of  the  wind  or  its  pressure.  The 
greatest  velocity  that  has  been  measured  at 
the  Observatory  at  Central  Park,  New  York  City, 
is  forty-five  miles  per  hour.  As  the  Observatory 
is  in  an  exposed  situation  and  near  the  sea-board  it 
is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  this  is  the  greatest 
velocity,  except  in  very  rare  instances,  anywhere  on 
the  Atlantic  slope,  where  the  elevation  is  not  much 
above  the  sea  level.  The  pressure  for  this  velocity 
at  the  level  of  the  sea  when  the  barometer  is  at  its 
mean  height,  is  six  pounds  per  square  foot. 

THE   VELOCITY  AND    PRESSURE    AT    LOW  ELEVATIONS. 

As  the  pressure  varies  as  the  square  of  the  ve- 
locity, when  the  velocity  of  the  wind  is  twenty 
miles  per  hour,  its  force  is  four  times  as  great  as 
that  of  a  wind  blowing  ten  miles  per  hour.  When 
the  wind  is  blowing  from  sixty  to  seventy  miles  per 
hour,  it  requires  a  man  of  considerable  physical 


294  THE    WIND. 

strength  to  be  able  to  stand  against  it,  for  the  pres- 
sure then  near  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-four  pounds  per  square  foot.  If  a  person 
presents  a  surface  of  six  square  feet  and  knows  his 
physical  strength,  he  can  easily  tell  how  great  a 
velocity  he  can  withstand. 

It  is  a  very  different  tiling,  however,  being  merely 
able  to  stand  bracing  one's  self,  and  going  against 
the  wind,  for  in  this  case,  we  have  as  it  were,  to 
push  the  weight  of  the  pressure  of  the  wind  before 
us. 

THE  VELOCITY  AND  PRESSURE   AT  HIGH  ELEVATIONS. 

The  summit  of  the  mountain  is  rarely  free  from 
winds,  and  they  have  a  greater  velocity  than  at  any 
point  where  they  have  ever  been  measured,  except 
those  measured  by  Mr.  Clough  and  myself  on  Moos- 
ilauke,  last  winter.  One  reason  why  it  is  so  much 
greater  here  than  elsewhere,  is  from  the  fact,  that 
in  the  valleys  the  wind  is  generally  unsteady,  blow- 
ing in  gusts,  while  here,  during  the  most  violent 
winds,  there  is  not  the  slightest  lull,  until  the  storm 
has  reached  its  culmination,  then  there  are  lulls 
which  continually  lengthen  until  the  storm  ceases. 

"  During  the  most  violent  storms  the  wind  has 
exceeded  a  hundred  miles  per  hour,  and  the.  average 
height  of  the  barometer  may  be  stated  at  twenty- 
three  inches. 


8    S 


r 


M     0" 

s  o 


PRESSURE   OF  THE    WIND.  295 

"  With  a  velocity  of  one  hundred  miles  per  hour 
at  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  pressure  on  a  square  foot 
is  fifty  pounds.  But  in  estimating  the  pressure  at 
the  summit  we  must  make  a  reduction  in  accord- 
ance with  the  principle  that  the  power  of  a  moving 
fluid  to  remove  an  obstacle  is  in  proportion  to  the 
square  of  its  density.  Taking  the  average  pressure 
at  the  level  of  the  sea  during  these  storms  at  twenty- 
nine  inches,  we  must  reduce  the  tabular  pressure  of 
fifty  pounds  as  follows  :  50  X  (If)2  =  31.45.  That 
is,  a  velocity  of  one  hundred  miles  per  hour  at  the 
summit,  would  gave  a  pressure  of  31.45  pounds  to 
the  square  foot ;  and  this  pressure  corresponds  by 
the  same  table  to  a  velocity  at  the  level  of  the  sea 
of  79.3  miles  an  hour.  Hence  we  see  that  a  veloc- 
ity of  79.3  miles  an  hour  at  the  level  of  the  sea 
would  do  the  same  damage  as  a  velocity  of  one 
hundred  miles  on  the  summit."  Calms  are  very 
rare  and  generally  of  short  duration.  They  occur 
when  the  wind  is  on  the  point  of  changing.  At 
times  the  changes  are  very  sudden  ;  the  wind  may 
be  southeast  and  in  an  hour  there  will  be  a  stiff 
breeze  from  the  northwest,  which  soon  increases  to 
a  gale.  This  change  of  the  wind  from  a  point,  to 
that  directly  opposite,  is  not  uncommon.  The  pre- 
vailing winds  have  been  northwest,  and  the  most 

O  ' 

violent,  with  one  exception,  have  come  from  that 
direction  or  a  few  points  farther  north. 


296  THE    WIND. 

As  the  side  of  the  house  presents  a  surface  of 
more  than  six  hundred  square  feet,  the  pressure  of 
the  wind,  when  it  reaches  its  greatest  velocity,  is 
tremendous,  and  it  puts  the  house  to  the  severest 
test,  especially  when  it  comes  in  heavy  gusts. 

After  a  time  of  light  wind,  when  the  building  is 
full  of  frost  and  the  joints  are  frozen,  a  heavy  wind 
loosens  the  joints  with  a  report  that  is  startling,  so 
sharp  that,  until  we  become  accustomed  to  it,  we 
can  hardly  believe  but  that  the  house  is  coming 
down  over  our  heads.  These  reports,  with  the  al- 
most constant  roar  of  the  wind,  are  trying  to  weak 
nerves,  and  even  if  a  person  has  considerable  cour- 
age it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  be  perfectly  cool,  par- 
ticularly when  the  thermometer  gets  below — 40, 
as  the  chances  of  escape  are  very  small  should 
the  house  be  crushed.  But  in  general  it  only  fur- 
nishes excitement  enough  to  keep  off  the  ennui  in- 
cident to  an  isolated  life. 

REMARKABLE    WINDS   WHEN    CLEAR. 

Nothing  has  surprised  me  more  than  the  fierce 
winds  we  have  when  it  is  perfectly  clear.  We  ex- 
pect them  when  there  are  clouds  on  the  mountain, 
but  we  have  had  the  wind  more  than  eighty  miles 
per  hour  when  there  was  not  a  single  cloud  above 
the  summit.  The  wind  at  such  times  is  rarely  a 
steady  pressure,  as  it  is  during  a  period  of  storm. 


THE   WAR  OF  THE  ELEMENTS.  297 

No  war  of  the  elements  is  so  remarkable  as  when 
these  invisible  elements  rage  with  such  fury  around 
this  high  summit  on  a  clear,  cold,  moonlight  night 
in  midwinter.  At  such  times  the  sky  is  intensely 
blue,  the  moon  looks  coldly  down,  and  the  stars 
shine  as  nowhere  else,  except  at  high  altitudes  and 
in  northern  latitudes.  Besides  the  roar  of  the  wind 
and  the  creaking  of  the  house,  the  wind  seems  to 
be  trying  its  utmost  to  draw  the  coals  upward 
through  the  stove-pipe,  for  it  tugs  and  pulls  and 
jerks,  and  now,  as  if  gathering  all  its  force,  it  gives 
one  long,  steady  pull,  but  the  coals  are  too  heavy 
for  it.  With  light  wood  it  would  certainly  succeed, 
if  not  in  taking  the  wood  away,  at  least  in  taking 
every  spark  of  fire,  —  for  this  was  done  several  times 
during  my  stay  on  Moosilauke.  Now  the  sound  is  a 
hoarse  deafening  roar,  that  dies  away  into  a  plaintive 
moan ;  now  it  screeches  and  howls  as  though  all  the 
witches  of  Macbeth  were  therein  confined,  but  in 
an  instant  the  sound  ceases,  only  however  to  be 
renewed  by  others  so  weird  and  strange  that  one 
almost  believes  that  the  ghosts  of  the  aborigines, 
who  were  guilty  of  having  ascended  where  only  the 
lichens  grow,  still  hover  about  the  summit ;  for  they 
had  a  tradition  that  such  would  never  reach  the 
hunting  ground  beyond  the  sunset,  but  must  wan- 
der forever  around  the  mountain  they  had  dared 
profane.  Now  it  seizes  the  damper  in  the  pipe, 


298  THE    WIND. 

which  rattles  and  vibrates,  and  seems  to  offer  n<> 
resistance  to  the  passing  currents  of  the  air. 

Thus  the  wind  through  the  pipe  roars  and  shrieks, 
growls  and  howls,  pipes  and  hums,  grating  and  jar- 
ring, creeking  and  twanging,  then  gently  breathing 
with  a  plaintive  moan,  while  outside  it  comes  in 
waves  as  the  ocean  beats  in  heavy  surges  on  the 
shore.  Almost  every'  one  who  has  been  here  in 
summer  has  noticed,  when  at  intervals  there  are 
clouds  passing  over  the  mountain,  that  the  wind 
blows  with  greater  velocity  while  the  clouds  are  on 
the  mountain.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  greater 
humidity,  as  it  is  well  known  that  an  excess  of 
aqueous  vapor  gives  rise  to  currents  in  the  atmos- 
phere. As  the  motion  of  the  atmosphere  is  from 
the  place  where  it  contains  least  vapor  to  that  where 
there  is  the  most  vapor,  this  may  be  the  cause  of 
the  prevailing  northwest  winds.  On  account  of 
the  proximity  of  the  ocean  there  must  be  an  excess 
of  vapor  there  as  compared  with  the  currents  on 
the  summit  of  Mount  Washington. 

THE   WIND    AND   THE    BAROMETER. 

From  my  observations  here  and  on  Moosilauke, 
it  is  quite  certain  that  during  periods  of  storm  there 
is  a  close  connection  between  the  velocity  of  the 
wind  and  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  barometer.  By  a 
period  of  storm  we  mean  the  time  embraced  in  any 


BAROMETER  AND  THE    WIND.  299 

severe  and  extensive  commotion  of  the  atmosphere. 
These  commotions  here  usually  last  from  twelve  to 
thirty-six  hours,  and  may  extend  to  forty-eight 
hours  before  the  barometer  rises  to  its  mean  height. 
For  each  period  of  storm  during  our  observations, 
I  have  constructed  two  curves  on  the  same  time 
scale,  one  representing  the  velocity  of  the  wind,  the 
other  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  barometer,  and  find 
that  the  ordinates  of  these  curves  almost  exactly 
correspond.  In  one  instance  the  barometer  went 
up  when  there  was  a  lull  in  the  midst  of  the  storm, 
but  went  down  as  the  velocity  of  the  wind  again 
increased,  which  it  continued  to  do  for  half  an  hour, 
when  there  were  frequent  lulls,  accompanied  by  a 
gradual  rise  in  the  barometer  until  the  storm  ceased. 
Why  is  it  that  the  barograms  correspond  so  exactly 
with  the  velocity  of  the  wind  ? 

An  explanation  of  this  curious  phenomena  is 
given  by  Mr.  F.  Gaston,  F.  R.  S.,  in  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  British  Association  :  — 

"  The  answer  to  this  question  will  best  be  con- 
veyed by  a  consideration  of  what  we  should  expect 
the  movements  of  the  mercurial  column  to  be  if  a 
suitably  made  barometer  were  plunged  into  troubled 
water.  Its  movements  would  not  correspond  to 
each  ripple  that  passed  vertically  above  its  cistern, 
because  it  would  be  affected  by  all  the  disturbance 
in  an  area  of  surface  water  whose  radius  is  a  func- 


300  THE   WIND. 

tion  of  the  depth  of  immersion.  If  it  were  plunged 
to  the  depth  of  many  fathoms  the  mercury  would 
wholly  cease  to  oscillate,  becaiase  the  average  level 
of  the  area  with  which  it  sympathizes  would  be 
constant  however  much  its  surface  might  be  broken 
up  into  undulations.  If  it  were  immersed  to  a 
suitable  depth,  the  mercury  would  foretell  the  ad- 
vent of  each  wave  of  exceptional  size,  before  an  ex- 
ceptional height  of  water  had  arrived  vertically  above 
the  barometer.  It  is  easy  and  interesting  to  make 
an  experiment  to  the  same  effect,  by  dipping  a  glass 
tube,  open  at  both  ends,  straight  into  a  pan  of 
water  and  disturbing  the  water  with  the  hand. 
When  the  tube  is  dipped  but  a  short  way  in,  the 
water  it  encloses  harmonizes  in  its  oscillations  with 
the  water  that  surrounds  it,  but  this  harmony  is 
diminished  and  the  oscillations  in  the  tube  become 
more  sluggish,  as  the  tube  is  immersed  more  deeply, 
and  at  length  they  disappear  altogether.  In  pre- 
cisely the  same  way  I  believe  the  mercury  in  the 
barometer  sympathizes  with  atmospheric  disturbance 
throughout  a  wide  circle." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


STORMS. 


T  is  difficult  to  convey  in  words  any  vivid 
idea  of  the  terrific  grandeur  of  the  storms 
in  winter  upon  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington.  They  have  probably  been  more  se- 
vere than  any  ever  before  experienced,  especially 
when  the  cold  is  taken  as  one  of  the  elements. 
The  storm  of  the  18th  of  October  is  noticed  on 
page  167.  There  was  a  storm  of  some  severity  the 
24th  of  November,  when  I  was  alone  on  the  moun- 
tain. But  the  most  severe  storm,  of  all  that  we 
had,  occurred  on  the  15th  of  December,  and  as  it 
was  the  first  terrific  storm  since  the  house  had  been 
built  which  we  occupied,  we  did  not  feel  that 
security,  that  we  should  in  one  that  had  stood  the 
force  of  the  storms  in  winters  past..  The  other 
houses  are  of  stone,  ours  of  wood,  and  besides 
presented  a  much  greater  surface  to  the  wind  than 
any  building  ever  before  erected  on  the  summit. 
Two  of  the  party  had  never  been  on  a  mountain 
summit  during  a  winter  storm,  so  they  would  be 


302  STORMS. 

likely  to  describe  it  more  vividly  than  a  person 
who  had  witnessed  many :  — 

"  We  have  had  probably  as  severe  a  tornado  as 
will  visit  us  during  the  winter.  The  velocity  of 
the  wind  was  recorded  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, and  it  was  ninety-two  miles  per  hour.  After 
that  time  it  was  not  safe  to  venture  out  with  the 
anemometer,  unless  we  wanted  to  take  an  air-line 
passage  to  Tuckerrnan's  Ravine  ;  for  the  wind  kept 
increasing  until  toward  morning,  when  it  blew  a  ter- 
rific hurricane.  Mr.  Huntington  and  Mr.  Clough, 
both  having  had  considerable  of  this  kind  of  ex- 
perience, say  it  must  have  blown,  at  the  highest 
point,  one  hundred  and  ten  to  one-hundred  and 
twenty  miles  per  hour.  We  expected  at  any  mo- 
ment to  have  the  building  come  down  about  our 
heads,  and  were  prepared  to  make  an  effort  for 
our  lives,  having  put  hard-tack  in  our  pockets,  and 
armed  with  axe  and  saw,  ready,  in  case  we  found 
it  necessary,  to  cut  our  way  out,  getting  also  some 
of  our  thickest  blankets  ready  for  use,  and  prepar- 
ing with  considerable  excitement  for  any  emer- 
gency. The  wind  roared  terribly,  as  if  inspired 
with  the  power  and  spite  of  all  the  furies,  and  the 
wild  rage  was  so  deafening  that  we  were  obliged 
to  shout  to  our  utmost  in  order  to  be  heard. 

"  Messrs.  Huntington  and  Clough  were  both  very 
cool,  although  I  believe  they  thought  the  chances 


NIGHT   WATCHES.  303 

were  more  than  even  that  we  would  have  quarters 
elsewhere  before  morning ;  and  Mr.  Smith,  the 
gentlemanly  meteorological  observer  sent  by  the 
government  to  this  station,  was  quite  jolly,  offering 
such  consolation  as  this  :  '  If  we  were  blown  down 
into  Tuckerman's  Ravine,  it  would  be  for  the  "  ben- 
efit of  commerce,"  and  so,  of  course,  all  right.'  It 
seemed  too  much  like  cracking  jokes  while  sitting 
up  with  a  corpse,  however,  to  be  much  relished. 
We  watched  all  night,  waiting  anxiously  the  effect 
or  result  of  the  hurricane,  and  after  a  long  night 
of  such  fearful  tumult,  morning  brought  us  a  little 
relief,  by  reducing  the  velocity  of  the  wind  to 
eighty-four  miles  per  hour.  We  were  duly  thank- 
ful for  this  slight  change,  and  at  breakfast  we  con- 
gratulated each  other  on  our  narrow  escape ;  for, 
if  the  building  had  been  crushed,  our  chance  for 
wishing  any  one  a  '  Merry  Christmas '  and  '  Happy 
New  Year '  would  have  been  very  small ;  for  the 
mercury  was  15°  below  zero,  and  the  barometer, 
the  lowest  recorded  so  far,  22.796.  This  remark- 
able fall  will  not  happen  often,  but  when  it  does, 
we  shall  keep  housed. 

"  The  immediate  danger  is  passed,  however,  and 
our  good  cover  has  been  severely  tested,  and  has 
not  been  found  wanting  in  point  of  strength.  We 
have  more  confidence  in  it  than  we  had  before 
the  storm." 


304  STORMS. 

During  the  storm  so  great  was  the  force  of  the 
wind,  that  the  three-inch  planks  which  had  been 
securely  bolted  across  the  opening  where  the  train 
enters  the  building  in  summer,  were  pressed  in  four 
or  more  inches,  while  the  end  of  the  building  and 
the  side  towards  the  wind,  and  finally  the  whole 
structure,  had  a  vibratory  motion  not  altogether 

V 

pleasant. 

THE  STORM  OF   TWENTY-SECOND  AND  TWENTY-THIRD 
OF    JANUARY. 

We  Jiad  another  storm  the  twenty-second  and 
twenty-third  of  January.  Though  the  wind  was  not 
so  fearful  as  the  storm  of  December,  yet  the  cold 
was  more  intense.  The  building  had  been  tried 
by  previous  storms  and  we  felt  more  secure.  But 
the  roar  of  the  storm  and  the  ice  thrown  against 
the  building,  like  showers  of  grape,  kept  us  wide 
awake.  In  the  journal  of  this  date  will  be  found 
additional  notes  of  this  storm,  and  in  the  mL-teoro- 
loo-ical  record  it  will  be  seen  how  uniform  was  the 

CT 

fall  of  the  barometer,  until  the  storm  reached  its 
culmination. 

During  the  storm  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  of  Feb- 
ruary the  cold  exceeded  in  intensity  anything  we 
had  the  whole  winter.  The  gale  began  on  Thurs- 
day, the  second,  quite  suddenly,  and  reached  its 
height  on  the  fourth,  about  midnight,  when  the 
velocity  of  the  wind  was  estimated  at  one  hundred 


INTENSELY  COLD.  305 

miles  per  hour,  and  the  barometer  was  22.464,  the 
lowest  recorded.  To  it  was  added  the  most  intense 
cold  ever  experienced  short  of  arctic  regions,  the 
thermometer  indicating  59  below  zero  at  three 

<j 

o'clock  Sunday  morning,  the  fifth. 

THE    COLD    IN    ARCTIC    REGIONS. 

In  arctic  regions,  the  intense  cold  "  is  breathless, 
still,  and  bright ;  "  and  Dr.  Carpenter  in  his  "  Hu- 
man Physiology,  says  "  "  that  in  the  experience  of 
Arctic  voyagers  the  temperature  of  — 50°  may  be 
sustained  when  the  air  is  perfectly  still,  with  less 
inconvenience  than  is  caused  by  air  in  motion  at  a 
temperature  of  50°  higher."  The  immunity  from 
chilling  influences  is  "  chieflv  attributable  to  the 

v 

dryness  and  stillness  of  the  atmosphere."  But 
here  we  had  neither  dryness  nor  stillness,  for  the 
wind  was  at  least  eighty  miles  per  hour,  while  the 
cold  was  most  intense.  Above  it  was  perfectly 
clear,  but  below  there  was  a  dense  haze  which  had 
more  the  appearance  of  smoke  than  clouds.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  cold,  when  the  temperature  was 
— 21°,  and  the  wind  a  little  more  than  sixty  miles 
per  hour,  my  nose  was  frozen  in  less  than  three  min- 
utes, while  standing  with  my  back  to  the  wind. 
Mr.  Nelson,  when  the  cold  was  most  intense,  had 
his  fingers  frost-bitten  while  cutting  a  piece  of  meat, 
directly  over  our  room.  When  it  is  so  intensely  cold 
a  person  freezes  without  feeling  the  least  sensation 


306  STORMS. 

of  cold.  During  my  stay  on  Moosilauke  I  made 
the  ascent  of  the  mountain  when  the  thermometer 
was  at  zero,  and  the  wind  was  seventy  miles  per 
hour,  though  I  was  not  exposed  to  the  full  force  of 
the  wind  until  within  a  short  distance  of  the  house. 
Here  I  went  about  forty  rods  from  the  house  when 
the  thermometer  was  — 16°  and  the  wind  above 
sixty  miles  per  hour.  In  the  most  intense  cold  we 
had  and  when  the  velocity  of  the  wind  was  so  great, 
it  is  probable  that  a  person  would  become  instantly 
insensible. 

During  a  gale  on  the  10th  of  February  we 
were  not  the  only  witnesses.  "  It  was  not  accom- 
panied by  such  intense  cold,  although  the  tem- 
perature was  quite  low,  reaching  21°  below  zero  at 
seven  o'clock  the  next  morning.  There  was  a 
downward  tendency  in  the  barometer  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  it  was  quite  low  throughout  the  afternoon 
and  until  late  in  the  evening,  when  the  tempest  be- 
gan to  abate.  Its  lowest  point  was  23.033,  and  its 
variations  followed  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  wind 
quite  closely.  The  wind,  which  was  blowing  at  the 
rate  of  fifty-two  miles  an  hour  at  seven  A.  M.,  in- 
creased to  eighty-seven  miles  by  the  middle  of  the 
forenoon.  At  noon  it  had  decreased  to  forty-eight 
miles,  but  at  two  p.  M.,  it  had  begun  business  with 
renewed  vigor,  eighty-eight  miles  being  indicated. 
At  three  o'clock,  the  anemometer  marked  seventy- 
six  miles,  and  at  seven  p.  M.,  when  the  last  obser- 


A  FURIOUS  GALE.  307 

vation  with  that  instrument  was  taken,  it  had  again 
reached  eighty-eight  miles.  For  the  next  hour  or  so 
the  gale  increased  in  fury,  until  it  reached  at  least 
one  hundred  miles  per  hour.  The  wind  howled  and 
thundered  without  like  an  army  of  angry  demons, 
while  an  incessant  pelting  of  the  building  was  kept 
up  with  pieces  of  ice  and  dislodged  frost-work.  At 
times  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  side  of  the  depot 
was  about  to  be  crushed  in.  Added  to  the  roaring 
of  the  storm  there  was  seemingly  an  individual 
creak  and  groan  for  every  plank  in  the  whole 
structure,  and  a  universal  rattling  of  everything 
that  could  emit  a  sound.  In  the  midst  of  the  storm 
there  came  a  sudden  crash,  followed  by  a  rushing, 
seething  noise,  and  it  was  discovered  that  a  window 
had  been  broken.  The  aperture  was  closed  by 
nailing  boards  across  the  inside,  and  further  dam- 
age was  prevented.  With  each  occasional  lull,  the 
framework  and  supports  of  the  structure,  which  had 
been  strained  to  their  utmost,  sprang  back  to  their 
places  with  another  startling  report." 

The  wind  during  the  storms  already  mentioned, 
was  northwest,  or  a  little  more  towards  the  north. 
On  the  3d  of  March  the  storm  was  from  the  S.S.E. 
and  the  wind  reached  a  velocity  of  ninety-eight 
miles  per  hour,  and  the  rain  swept  along  in  torrents, 
completely  deluging  the  mountain.  In  March  the 
mountain  was  more  free  from  storms  and  clouds 
than  any  month  during  our  stay.  In  April  there 


308  STORMS. 

was  only  one  very  severe  rain-storm,  and  that  was 
from  the  southwest  on  the  5th.  A  thunder-storm 
on  the  llth,  which  was  quite  severe  in  the  valleys 
adjacent  did  not  reach  the  summit ;  the  flashes  of 
lightning,  however,  could  be  seen,  but  the  thunder 
was  heard  only  as  a  distant  roar.  As  it  was  snow- 
ing on  the  mountain  the  storm  must  have  been  far 
below  us.  It  snowed  nearly  half  the  month,  and 
the  storms  were  quite  like  those  in  the  valleys  in 
winter,  while  here  in  the  winter  months  it  snowed 
very  little,  and  the  snow-flakes  seemed  to  be  mere 
spiculaB,  fragments  that  below  may  have  formed 
regular  flakes.  So  it  seems  altogether  probable 
that  the  snow  clouds  of  winter  are  at  quite  a  low 
elevation.  The  first  half  of  May  was  very  much 
like  April,  though  the  snow-storms  were  more  fre- 
quent, and  in  places  the  drifts  were  of  greater  depth 
than  at  any  time  previous.  During  the  winter  it 
sometimes  rained  when  the  thermometer  was  23°, 
and  snowed  when  it  was  38°.  In  case  of  rain,  the 
clouds  must  have  been  driven  up  from  a  much 
lower  elevation.  When  the  wind  is  seventy  and 
eighty  miles  per  hour  it  does  not  take  a  cloud  long 
to  come  half  a  mile  up  the  mountain. 

Whether  we  watch  the  storm  as  it  approaches, 
or  feel  its  force  as  it  breaks  in  all  its  fury  on  the 
summit,  there  is  a  grandeur  and  sublimity  in  these 
manifestations  that  fills  the  mind  with  awe  and 
wonder. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

METEOROLOGICAL   RECORD. 

HESE  tables  comprise  the  observations 
taken  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton, lat.  44°  16'  34"  north,  long.  71°  20'. 
west,  6,291.7  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
during  a  period  of  six  months,  from  November  12, 
1870,  to  May  13,  1871.  On  account  of  our  high 
elevation  the  record  in  regard  to  clouds  necessarily 
differs  from  ordinary  observations,  in  that  the  clouds 
were  frequently  below  our  level.  Those  we  looked 
down  upon,  sometimes,  undoubtedly  seemed  to  us 
to  be  of  a  different  kind  from  what  they  would  to 
an  observer  looking  at  them  from  below.  At  no 
time  during  the  winter  months  were  we  able  to  see 
that  the  clouds  above  the  summit  moved  in  a  dif- 
ferent direction  from  those  immediately  around  us. 
In  April  and  May,  however,  the  clouds  both  above 
and  below  frequently  moved  in  a  different  direction 
from  those  at  the  elevation  of  the  summit.  The 
other  observations  are  the  same  as  those  taken  at 
low  elevations.  In  the  last  table  are  the  thermo- 


310  METEOROLOGICAL  RECORD. 

grams !  of  the  three  winter  months  at  Mount  "Wash- 
ington ;  Montreal,  Q.  P.,  from  observations  by  Chas. 
Smallvvood,  LL.  D.,  D.  C.  L.,  etc.;  Lunenburg, 
Vt.,  from  observations  by  H.  A.  Cutting,  M.  D.  ; 
and  Providence,  R.  I.  from  observations  by  Alexis 
Caswell,  LL.D.,  etc.  The  observations  were  taken 
syncronously,  except  that  the  last  column  of  the 
Providence  observations,  were  taken  at  ten  p.  M. 
instead  of  nine  p.  M.  In  this  table  the  fractions 
have  been  omitted,  though  they  have  been  used  in 
calculating  the  mean. 

THE   INSTRUMENTS   WE    USED. 

The  anemometer,  the  instrument  we  used  for 
measuring  the  velocity  of  the  wind,  which  is  here 
represented,  consists  essentially  of  four  hemispheri- 
cal cups,  having  their  diametrical  planes  exposed  to 
a  passing  current  of  air.  They  are  carried  by  four 
horizontal  arms  attached  to  a  vertical  shaft,  which 
is  caused  to  rotate  by  the  velocity  of  the  wind. 

1  We  have  used  the  word  thcrmograms  for  the  record  of  the 
height  of  the  mercury  in  the  thermometer.  We  usually  say  the 
height  of  the  thermometer,  or  simply  the  thermometer,  as  a  name 
for  this  record.  But  thermometer  is  the  name  of  the  instrument, 
and  is  inappropriate  as  expressing  a  record  of  the  height  of  the 
mercury  in  the  tube.  The  word  thcrmogram  is  derived  from 
OtpfjLi],  heat,  and  7f>a/xju^,  that  which  is  written;  so  literally  it  means 
that  which  is  written  of  the  heat,  hence  the  appropriateness  of  the 
word.  We  might  follow  the  word  barograms  in  the  same  way,  but 
this  is  unnecessary. 


ANEMOMETER. 


THE  ANEMOMETER.  311 

Dr.  Robinson  found  that  the  cups,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  axis  to  which  they  are  attached,  revolve 
with  one  third  of  the  wind's  velocity,  which  is  here 
measured  by  a  simple  arrangement  of  two  wheels, 
working  in  endless  screws,  and  by  means  of  two 
indices,  shows  on  inspection  of  the  dial,  the  velocity 
of  the  wind.  The  outer  or  front  wheel,  which  re- 
volves once  for  every  five  miles,  is  furnished  with 
two  graduated  circles,  the  interior  circle  being  sub- 
divided to  miles  and  tenths  of  miles,  whilst  the 
outer  circle  is  divided  into  one  hundred  and  one 
parts,  each  part  being  equivalent  to  five  miles,  so 
that  it  measures  505  miles  of  wind. 

The  stationary  index,  at  the  top  of  the  dial,  marks 
on  the  inner  circle  the  number  of  miles  —  under 
five —  and  tenths,  that  the  wind  may  have  traversed, 
in  addition  to  the  miles  shown  by  the  traversing 
index,  which  revolves  with  the  dial  and  indicates  on 
the  outer  circle  the  transit  of  every  five  miles. 

Thermometers  are  so  well  known  that  a  descrip- 
tion here  is  unnecessary.  How  low  a  temperature 
a  mercurial  thermometer  will  register  correctly  is  a 
question.  That  the  mercury  here  fell  gradually  to 
— 59,  and  then  rose  again  with  the  same  regularity 
as  in  other  extreme  changes,  is  certain. 

The  Anemoscope  or  Wind-vane.  We  made  many 
attempts  to  keep  a  vane  on  the  building,  but  it  was 
blown  down  every  time  it  was  put  up.  When 


812  METEOROLOGICAL  RECORD. 

the  rod  did  not  break  the  tail  of  the  vane  would 
become  so  loaded  with  ice  that  it  would  not  turn 
to  the  wind.  As  a  consequence  a  light  vane  had 
to  be  used  which  could  be  taken  in  to  free  it 
from  ice. 

The  barometers  we  used  here  were  manufactured 
by  James  Green  of  New  York.  The  principle  of 
these  is  also  well  known. 

The  Hygrometer.  Though  this  instrument  is 
common  enough,  very  few  persons  perhaps,  even 
among  scientific  men,  fully  appreciate  its  importance. 
Nearly  every  person  has  noticed  that  at  certain 
times  various  substances  attract  the  moisture  of  the 
atmosphere,  or  rather  the  particles  of  moisture  enter 
the  loose  and  open  texture  of  substances  exposed  to 
the  air  and  cause  them  to  expand :  wood  swells, 
tobacco  is  sensibly  affected,  salt  becomes  moist,  a 
rope  contracts ;  these  are  for  some  persons  a  hy- 
grometer, or  "  measure  of  moisture."  The  most 
simple  mechanical  device  for  measuring  the  mois- 
ture is  a  well-twisted  elastic  cord  suspended  with  a 
small  weight  at  the  end.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the 
weight  will  show  the  variation  of  moisture  in  the 
air.  In  the  weather-house,  the  man  coming  out  in 
wet  weather  and  the  lady  in  dry  ;  the  contracting 
substance  used  in  these  is  catgut  or  hair.  A  simi- 
lar toy  is  the  capuchin,  in  which  the  monk  puts  on 
his  hood  when  the  air  is  damp.  But  all  animal 


THE  HYGROMETER.  313 

substances  deteriorate  from  time  and  exposure,  and 
soon  lose  their  hygrometric  properties. 

The  instrument  in  most  common  use  is  the  dry 
and  wet  bulb  hygrometer.  This,  although  perhaps 
suggested  by  others,  was  brought  into  general  notice 
in  England  by  Dr.  John  A.  Mason.  As  modified 
by  Glaisher  it  consists  of  two  thermometers  exactly 
similar  and  having  a  fine  thread  of  mercury.  One 
bulb  is  covered  with  a  fine  piece  of  muslin.  From 
this  a  lamp-wick  extends  into  a  cup  of  water. 
When  the  mercury  is  below  the  freezing  point  the 
bulb  is  covered  with  a  film  of  ice. 

Dr.  Schaeffer  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  has  in- 
vented a  revolving  hygrometer  which,  especially  in 
extremely  warm  or  cold  weather,  seems  preferable 
to  any  other.  It  differs  from  the  last  in  that  the 
bulbs  are  straight  or  oblong,  instead  of  hemispheri- 
cal. Water,  at  the  temperature  of  the  air  or  as  near 
it  as  possible,  is  put  upon  one  of  the  bulbs,  with  a 
camel's  hair  brush,  then  the  instrument  is  revolved 
rapidly  until  the  water  evaporates,  when  the  read- 
ing of  the  instrument  is  taken.  The  evaporation  of 
water  or  ice  takes  from  the  bulb  that  amount  of 
heat  required  for  its  conversion  into  vapor,  and  the 
consequent  cold  is  shown  by  the  fall  of  the  mer- 
cury. This  depression  of  the  mercury  measures 
strictly  only  the  evaporating  power  of  the  air,  as 
the  latter  depends  on  the  amount  of  moisture  in 


314  METEOROLOGICAL  RECORD. 

the  atmosphere,  and  the  depression  of  the  wet  bulb 
of  the  thermometer  indirectly  measures  the  humid- 
ity of  the  air. 

The  sanitary  and  the  horticultural  uses  of  the 
hygrometer  deserve  more  attention  than  they  have 
heretofore  received.  A  hygrometer  in  our  dwell- 
ings and  public  halls  would  tell  us  at  once  whether 
the  requisite  amount  of  moisture  is  present,  for  our 
sensations  cannot  guide  us  in  regard  to  humidity. 

The  fact  that  the  quantity  of  vapor  is  least  dur- 
ing; the  winter  months,  and  that  at  the  same  time 

O  '  ^ 

the  relative  humidity  is  at  its  maximum,  would  to 
most  persons  probably  seem  paradoxical.  But  the 
relative  humidity  of  the  air  depends  not  only  on  the 
amount  of  vapor  it  contains,  but  also  on  its  degree 
of  temperature. 

The  figures  given  in  our  tables  for  humidity  is  the 
ratio  which  the  vapor  actually  present  in  the  at- 
mosphere bears  to  the  amount  which  it  would  con- 
tain if  it  was  saturated,  that  is,  when  there  is 
present  the  utmost  quantity  of  water  it  can  contain 
in  suspension. 

Complete  saturation  is  taken  at  100,  and  it  de- 
creases from  this  to  perfect  dryness. 

The  difficulty  we  have  experienced  is  from  the 
'want  of  tables  calculated  for  low  temperatures  and 
fractions  of  a  degree. 

The    accompanying     cut    represents   "  Edson's 


HYGRODEIK. 


THE  HYGRODEIK.  315 

Hygrodeik,"  an  instrument  adapted  to  general  use. 
It  differs  from  all  other  hygrometers  in  having  a 
dial  and  pointer,  showing  at  a  glance  the  tempera- 
ture, the  relative  humidity,  the  dew  point,  the  abso- 
lute weight  of  vapor  in  cubic  foot  of  air,  and  the 
elastic  force  of  aqueous  vapor.  Thus  simplified,  it 
is  adapted  to  meet  every-day  wants,  and  yet  is  sus- 
ceptible of  delicate  adjustment  for  scientific  pur- 
poses. Its  principal  uses  are  as  a  guide,  —  out- 
doors to  aid  in  foretelling  the  weather,  —  in-doors 
to  preserve  health  ;  and  in  manufactories  and  store- 
houses, to  prevent  injury  to  goods  or  materials  of 
any  kind,  by  shrinking,  swelling,  rust,  mildew,  or 
any  chemical  change  due  to  excess  or  deficiency  of 
moisture. 


316 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLES. 


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Mt.  Washington   .... 
Montreal 


MEANS  OP  MONTH. 

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342 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLES. 


JANUARY. 


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Mt.  Washington 
Montreal .     .     . 


MEANS  OF  MONTH. 

.     .     6.1     Luncnburg,  Vt. 
.     .11.0     Providence,  R.  I. 


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METEOROLOGICAL  TABLES. 


343 


FEBRUARY. 


THERMOGRAMS,  7  A.  M. 

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MEANS  OP  MONTH. 


Mt.  Washington 7.1 

Montreal 18.0 


Lunenburg,  Vt. 
Proyidence,  R.I. 


.     17.5 
.    27.9 


PAET    FOTJETH. 

WHAT  THE  WORLD  SAID  OF  US. 


HE  members  of  the  expedition  whose  his- 
tory has  been  narrated  in  the  foregoing 
pages  have  been  interested  in  what  has 
been  said  of  them  by  the  public.  At  their  respect- 
ive breakfast-tables  they  have  often  wondered  what 
was  being  said  of  them  in  hundreds  of  families 

O 

where  they  had  reason  to  believe  the  previous 
night's  dispatch  was  being  read  aloud  from  the 
morning  journal. 

From  time  to  time  there  have  appeared  in  the 
newspapers  references  to  our  occupation  of  the  sum- 
mit, expressing  the  opinions  of  various  writers,  either 
upon  the  facts  reported  or  the  general  prospects  of 
the  expedition.  As  these  may  represent  the  table- 
talk  of  the  morning,  we  have  selected  a  few  extracts 
from  the  many  before  us,  for  preservation  with  our 
record.  As  the  tendency  to  burlesque  is  a  national 
American  trait,  we  have  been  favored  with  a  very 
large  proportion  of  articles  of  an  amusing  charac- 


346        .  WHAT  THE    WORLD  SAID   OF   US. 

ter,  whose  perusal  has  raised  our  spirits  during  some 
of  the  dull  days,  when  all  was  disagreeable  without 
and  dark  within. 

For  the  entertainment  of  the  mountain  party  a 
card-basket  was  manufactured  from  birch  bark 
grown  at  the  base  of  Mount  Washington,  orna- 
mented with  outline  sketches  and  pithy  remarks. 
Both  the  sketches  and  quotations  were  intended  as 
prophetic,  the  latter  having  been  uttered  while  the 
project  was  yet  untried,  and  the  former  designed 
early  in  the  winter.  The  conflicting  opinions  of  the 
doubters  and  believers  in  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  enterprise  appear  in  direct  contrast.  Our  read- 
ers may  judge  for  themselves  to  which  class  the 
true  prophets  belonged. 

Early  in  1870  the  following  item  went  the  rounds 
of  the  papers  respecting  the  crime  of  one  of  the  at- 
tempts at  climbing  Moosilauke  :  — 

"  In  wandering  around  trying  to  find  the  house 
upon  the  summit,  Mr.  Huntington  froze  both  feet 
solid  above  the  ankles,  rendering  amputation  neces- 
sary. His  sufferings  were  of  the  most  fearful  de- 
scription." 

As  an  estimate  of  the  way  in  which  such  a  re- 
port, if  true,  would  have  been  held  by  many  per- 
sons, we  quote  an  opinion  expressed  thus  in  our 
hearing  not  long  afterwards  :  — 

"  Now  if  they  had  crippled  themselves  in  a  noble 


BIRCH   CARD   BASKET. 

SHOWING  WHAT  TUB  WORLD   THINKS    OP  THE  MT.    WASHINGTON   EXPEDITION. 

Presented  to  3.  II.  HUNTINGTON,  Dec.  25th,  1870. 

"  O,  wad  some   power  the  ttiflie  pie  us 
To  sec  ourscls  as  ithers  see  ue." 


RARE  SNOW-FLAKE.  3-17 

cause,  they  would  have  had  something  to  sustain 
them  under  the  affliction  ;  but  to  deliberately  thro\» 
away  health  and  the  hopes  of  a  life-time  for  a  mere 
nothing  —  so  idiotic  —  so  like  a  lunatic  —  perfectly 
chimerical ! " 

RARE    SNOW-FLAKE. 

On  the  sixth  of  January  Mr.  Nelson  added  to 
the  usual  Press  dispatch  the  following  :  "  We  noticed 
a  snow-flake  this  morning  of  an  hitherto  undescribed 
form."  Very  shortly  afterwards,  the  public  read 
the  following  :  — 

"  A    STARTLING  DISCOVERY. 

"  A  party  of  fossilized  scientific  maniacs  are  winter- 
ing out  on  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  N.  H., 
and  a  gaping  world  stands  below  in  anticipation  of 
great  discoveries  ! 

"  After  laying  in  a  good  store  of  edibles  and  drink- 
ables, and  other  little  luxuries,  such  as  playing  cards 
and  cribbage  boards  (constructed  on  purely  scien- 
tific principles,  accoi'ding  to  Hoyle),  they  have  just 
got  to  work  on  their  startling  discovery.  We  palpi- 
tate as  we  record  the  first  sensation  which  they 
have  condescended  to  let  loose  to  the  world.  It  is 
that  they  have  discovered  a  new  and  hitherto  un- 
known species  of — snow-flake! 

"  What  effect  this  tremendous  discovery  will  have 


348         WHAT  THE   WORLD  SAID  OF  US. 

on  the  subsequent  development  of  the  resources  of 
the  country  time  alone  can  determine.  It  is  barely 
possible  that  this  new  snow-flake  will  be  adopted  all 
over  the  country,  and  that  the  old-fashioned  article 
will  be  done  away  with  altogether  ! 

"  If  such  should  be  the  case,  the  country,  and  those 
individuals  who  have  provided  these  high  old  dad- 
dies with  their  elaborate  outfit,  can  congratulate 
themselves  on  not  having  lived,  or  spent  their 
money  in  vain." 

THE    GREAT    POWDER    HOUSE    MILL    EXPEDITION. 

A  long  account  of  the  organization  and  equip- 
ment of  the  expedition  appeared  with  the  above 
title,  from  which  we  present  the  following  extract : — 

"  That  19th  of  December  will  be  long  remem- 
bered by  those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  witness 
the  procession  as  it  started  for  the  summit.  Each 
individual  of  the  party  was  dressed  in  a  complete 
suit  of  seal-skins,  and  bore  an  enormous  flag  with 
the  motto  '  Excelsior ! '  A  noble  and  fearless  band 
of  martyrs  to  science  ;  determined  to  freeze  or  per- 
ish in  the  attempt !  Next,  after  a  feast  worthy  of 
Dehnonico's,  came  our  marvelous  interesting  obser- 
vations, as  soon  as  the  party  had  reached  the  sum- 
mit. During  the  journey  up  hill  our  best  thermom- 
eter was  broken.  This  cast  a  gloom  over  the  party, 
until  Professor  Blowpipe  with  wonderful  presence 


TIP-TOP  HOUSE  IN  A  STORM.  349 

of  mind  suggested  that  we  should  take  turns  in 
standing  out  in  the  cold,  and  then  '  guess '  in  rela- 
tion to  the  temperature.  The  historian  tried  it 
first ;  and  after  roosting  on  top  of  the  old  house 
gave  it  as  his  deliberate  opinion  that  it  was  about 
71°  below  zero.  The  barometer  was  42°  in  the 
shade  ;  the  velocity  of  the  wind  frightful  to  contem- 
plate ;  and  before  we  had  completed  our  first  day's 
experience,  each  individual  member  of  the  party 
said  that  the  '  Relative  Stupidity '  of  the  whole 
affair  was  at  least  '  99  ' !  " 

TIP-TOP    HOUSE   IN    A     STORM. 

An  illustrated  weekly  attempted  to  delineate  the 
residence  of  our  party  upon  the  summit  when  the 
storm  was  raging.  The  building  drawn  was  the 
Tip-top  House,  which  was  not  inhabited  at  all 
during  the  winter,  and  a  part  of  the  text  accom- 
panying the  illustration  was  the  following  :  — 

"  The  deep  snows  that  obstruct  the  road  to  the 
summit,  and  render  it  impassable  for  months,  shut 
them  off  as  effectually  from  the  rest  of  the  world  as 
if  they  were  floating  on  an  iceberg,  in  that  famous 
polar  main  which  you  must  first  see  to  believe  in  — 
only  that  they  have  the  telegraph  with  which  to 
communicate  with  their  fellow-men.  The  accounts 
which  they  send  us  of  the  state  of  the  atmosphere 
are  not  exactly  what  old  ladies  call  '  inviting.'  It 


350         WHAT  THE   WORLD  SAID  OF  US. 

is  a  singular  fact,  however,  that  the  thermometer 
indicates  a  less  intense  degree  of  cold  on  the  very 
summit  of  the  mountain  than  prevailed  during  the 
storm  at  Lowell  and  other  places  no  further  north. 
The  principal  discomfort  arises  from  the  violence 
of  the  wind.'  " 

RETARDATION    OF    SCIENCE. 

"  The  progress  of  science  in  this  country  has  ex- 
perienced a  heavy  blow.  We  refer  to  the  gale  of 
wind  which  the  professors  and  others,  encamped  for 
the  winter  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington, 
reported  December  15th,  its  velocity  being  ninety- 
two  miles  per  hour." 

EXHAUSTION    OF     SUPPLIES. 

In  January  the  sympathy  of  the  public  was  ex- 
cited by  the  following  item  :  "  Of  the  eleven  tons 
of  coal  taken  up  for  the  winter's  stock  of  the  me- 
teorologists at  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington, 
over  one  half  was  consumed  a  week  ago.  Their 

O 

stove  contains  seven  dampers  (!),  which  during  the 
gales  will  not  stop  the  draft  and  rattle  fearfully." 

A  similar  report  prevailed  in  regard  to  the  provis- 
ions. The  correspondent  of  the  Boston  "  Journal," 
who  visited  the  party  early  in  February,  promptly 
denied  the  truth  of  these  rumors,  and  they  quickly 
disappeared  from  sight.  At  the  breaking  up  of  the 


"  THE  MAD  PHILOSOPHERS."  351 

expedition  it  was  found  that  enough  supplies  were 
on  hand  to  maintain  the  Signal  Service  party  for 
several  weeks. 

"  THE    MAD    MOUNT    WASHINGTON  PHILOSOPHERS. 

"  The  scientific  persons  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington  have  temporarily  abandoned  the  scien- 
tific pastime  of  sliding  down  hill,  the  extreme  cold- 
ness of  the  weather  having  indicated  euchre  and 
catch-penny  —  games  which  can  be  played  within 
doors  —  as  more  appropriate  to  the  season  than  out- 
of-door  sports.  One  of  their  number,  however, 
whose  name  is  said  to  be  Smith,  recently  went  forth 
to  '  measure  the  velocity  of  the  wind, '  —  a  process 
which  we  presume  to  be  identical  with  the  boyish 
sport  of  kite- flying,  —  and  after  an  exposure  of  five 
minutes,  returned  to  the  house  '  completely  covered 
with  frost  two  inches  in  thickness.'  We  must  be  per- 
mitted to  have  our  doubts  in  regard  to  Smith.  The 
name  itself  has  a  suspicious  look.  There  may  be  a 
person  of  that  name,  but  we  wholly  reject  the  theory 
of  a  Smith  coated  with  two  inches  of  frost,  and  yet 
sufficiently  lively  to  telegraph  his  condition  to  an  as- 
tonished public.  Much  science  has  probably  made 
Smith  mad.  He  doubtless  labors  under  the  delusion 
that  he  is  a  sort  of  plum-pudding  glace,  and  with  that 
method  in  his  madness  so  often  noticeable  even  in 
unscientific  lunatics,  invents  the  hypothesis  of  an  ac- 


352         WHAT  THE   WORLD  SAID  OF  US. 

cident  occurring  while  measuring  the  wind  to  ac- 
count for  his  supposed  condition.  This  theory 
receives  additional  confirmation  from  the  fact  that 
Smith  voluntarily  took  up  his  abode  on  Mount 
Washington,  a  course  of  conduct  of  which  it  is  absurd 
to  suppose  that  a  sane  person  would  be  guilty.  No 
right-minded  man  can  excuse  the  scientific  persons 
who  permitted  Smith  to  expose  himself  by  kite-fly- 
ing with  the  mercury  twenty -five  below  zero.  Of 
course  no  one  would  expect  from  them  the  same 
practical  common  sense  which  we  look  for  in  unsci- 
entific people,  but  it  really  was  too  thoughtless  to 
permit  a  scientific  fellow-creature  to  venture  out  in 
such  extreme  cold  for  the  mad  purpose  of  '  meas- 
uring the  wind.'  It  is  time  that  some  charitable 
person  should  take  measures  to  protect  these  un- 
happy persons  from  their  own  mad  selves." 

"  AN    ICE    MYSTERY    OF    SCIENCE. 

"  What  has  become  of  the  scientific  persons 
who  retired  to  Mount  Washington  at  the  beginning 
of  the  winter  to  slide  down  hill  and  fly  kites  in 
the  interests  of  science  ?  Since  the  cold  morning 
some  six  weeks  ago,  we  have  heard  no  news  of 
them.  It  is  therefore  possible  that  they  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  are 
now  sitting  stiff  and  cold  around  their  extinguished 
fire,  holding  in  their  icy  hands  the  frozen  cards 


AN  OFFICIAL  REPORT!  353 

wherewith  they  were  playing  strictly  scientific 
games  when  the  frost-king  called  them." 

We  have  space  for  only  one  other  extract,  which 
purports  to  be  the  official  report  of  the  expedition, 
addressed  to  the  chief  signal  officer  :  — 

"  It  was  the  original  design  of  the  expedition  to 
ascend  the  mountain  early  in  November,  but  it 
was  finally  thought  fit  to  defer  the  ascent  until 
the  mountains  should  become  inaccessible.  This 
occurred  on  the  25th  of  that  month.  On  the  next 
day,  the  roads  being  entirely  impassable,  the  gentle- 
men composing  the  expedition  proceeded  to  make 
the  ascent,  and  starting  from  the  Notch  at  seven 
A.  M.,  reached  the  summit  at  4.38  p.  M.  A  com- 
modious hut  had  been  erected  for  their  accommoda- 
tion, and  was  already  well  stocked  with  sextants, 
quadrants,  patent  sounding  lines,  life-buoys,  play- 
ing cards,  telescopes,  demijohns,  cold  hams,  diving- 
bells,  sleds,  patent  car-couples,  kites,  magnetic  tele- 
graphs, steam-engines,  and  other  necessary  scientific 
apparatus.  The  entire  expedition  being  quite  ex- 
hausted in  point  of  legs  by  the  exertions  of  the 
ascent,  immediately  went  to  bed,  without  making 
any  observations  except  those  of  a  strictly  personal 
nature.  On  the  following  day  the  secretary  began 
to  keep  a  full  diary  of  each  day's  proceedings,  a 
copy  of  which  is  hereby  submitted. 

"  November   27.     Height  of  thermometer  20°  ; 


354         WHAT  THE    WORLD  SAID   OF  US. 

barometer,  1.461.  Mean  direction  of  wind,  north- 
west. Greatest  velocity  of  wind  2.40  per  hour. 
Weather  clear,  but  cloudy.  At  ten  A.  M.  the  ex- 
pedition was  mustered  for  sliding  down  hill.  It  was 
found  by  experiment  that  the  sleds  ran  more  rapidly 
down  hill  than  in  the  contrary  direction,  This 
was  accounted  for  by  Professor  Huntington  upon 
the  theory  of  tittlebats,  and  an  able  paper  upon  the 
subject  was  prepared  and  read  by  him  the  same 
evening.  (See  Schedule  A,  annexed  to  this  report.) 

"  November  29.  Snow  fell  heavily  to  the  depth  as 
measured  in  the  pail  standing  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  Observatory,  of  ten  feet.  Professor 
Smith,  incautiously  endeavoring  to  continue  his 
experiments  in  sliding  down  hill,  was  buried  in  the 
snow.  The  expedition  dug  over  some  thirty  acres 
of  snow  in  the  attempt  to  find  and  extricate  him, 
but  without  success.  Hot  water  was  then  sprinkled 
over  the  snow  until  it  melted,  when  the  professor 
was  found,  much  exhausted,  but  full  of  ardor,  he 
fortunately  having  a  pocket  flask  with  him. 

"December  5.  Hailing  violently.  Professor  Jones 
became  lost  on  the  mountain,  and  hailed  the  other 
members  of  the  expedition  for  two  consecutive  hours 
in  vain.  As  they  were  listening  to  a  paper  on  the 
"  Origin  of  MumblePeg,"  prepared  and  read  by 
Professor  Hitchcork,  no  attention  was  paid  to  Pro- 
fessor Jones.  When  he  was  finally  discovered,  he 


THE  MALLEABLE  PROFESSOR.     355 

was  covered  with  a  coating  of  ice  three  inches  in 
thickness,  and  of  great  purity.  With  a  view  to 
making  further  experiments  upon  him,  he  was  left 
in  an  exposed  position  until  morning,  when  he  was 
unfortunately  found  to  be  insensible.  Boiling  water 
after  a  time  proved  efficacious  in  reviving  him. 
The  coating  of  ice,  however,  seemed  to  have 
rendered  his  nervous  system  peculiarly  irritable. 

"  December  9.  The  application  which  had  been 
made  to  the  Department  at  Washington  for  per- 
mission to  allow  the  wind  at  the  summit  to  exceed 
the  velocity  prescribed  by  Professor  Maury,  was 
returned  approved.  During  the  evening  chemical 
experiments  were  made  illustrating  the  ease  with 
which  whiskey,  water,  cigars,  and  lemon  can  be  made 
to  combine.  The  slight  intoxicating  effect  of  the 
mixture  was  unanimously  attributed  to  the  lemon. 
A  paper  enforcing  that  view  was  read  by  Professor 
Wood. 

"  December  10.  Wind  north  by  west,  blowing 
with  a  velocity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
per  minute.  Professor  Smith  venturing  to  stand  on 
the  windward  side  of  the  Observatory,  was  instantly 
flattened  against  the  boarding.  He  was  spread  out 
over  an  area  of  eighteen  square  feet,  and  experienced 
considerable  inconvenience  from  the  disarrangement 
of  his  hair.  Toward  evening  the  wind  lulled,  and 
he  was  carefully  detached  by  knives,  and  laid  upon 


356         WHAT  THE   WORLD  SAID  OF  US. 

the  shelf  until  means  for  his  compression  could  be 
devised. 

"  December  13.  Another  violent  wind.  The  spare 
shirt  of  the  expedition,  which  was  hung  upon  a  line 
in  the  rear  of  the  observatory,  was  blown  into  narrow 
strips.  The  question  being  raised,  whether  the 
wind  would  have  the  same  effect  upon  a  human 
being,  it  was  resolved  to  secure  a  boy  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trying  the  experiment. 

"  December  18.  After  each  member  of  the  expedi- 
tion had  read  a  paper  upon  the  '  Malleability  of 
Scientific  Persons,  as  exemplified  in  the  flattening 
of  Professor  Smith,'  an  attempt  to  compress  that 
gentlemen  was  made.  He  was  laid  upon  the  floor 
and  hammered,  chiefly  on  his  edges,  by  large  sledge 
hammers.  After  six  hours  of  continuous  hammering 
he  had  regained  nearly  his  former  shape.  He  was 
entirely  satisfied  with  the  result. 

"  January  1,  1871.  The  boy  who  had  been  sent 
for — age  sixteen,  weight  ninety  pounds  —  arrived, 
and  he  was  fastened  to  the  clothes  line,  the  expedi- 
tion sitting  around  him.  The  wind  was  blowing  with 
a  velocity  of  three  hundred  miles  in  thirty-nine  min- 
utes. Such  was  its  violence  that  the  bottom  was  im- 
mediately blown  out  of  a  tumbler,  the  mouth  of 
which  had  been  presented  to  the  wind.  Professor 
Nelson  made  a  fine  sketch  in  oil  of  the  scene.  In 
eleven  minutes. and  eight  seconds  after  the  boy  was 


"DUCTILITY  OF  BOYS."  357 

hung  upon  the  line  he  was  blown  into  shreds  of  not 
more  than  the  thickness  of  twine.  The  expedition 
then  returned  into  the  Observatory,  and  in  the  even- 
ing Professor  Jones  read  an  admirable  paper  upon 
the  '  Ductility  of  Boys.' 

"  March  10.  The  last  of  the  assimilating  fluids 
was  exhausted,  and  the  expedition  voted  unanimously 
to  descend  the  mountain." 


APPENDIX. 


SUBSCRIBERS   TO   THE    MOUNT   WASHINGTON 
EXPEDITION. 


Nathaniel  Thayer 
John  Cummings       • . . 
Smithsonian  Institution 


$100.00 
50.00 

.  50.00 
30.00 


SUBSCRIBERS  TO  THE  AMOUNT  OF    TWENTY-FIVE  DOLLARS. 

C.  J.  Sprague,  Kemble  &  Hastings,  J.  M.  Forbes,  Fuller, 
Dana,  &  Fitts,  J.  L.  Little,  and  M.  R.  Ropes  &  Co.,  of  Bos- 
ton, and  Frederick  Billings,  of  Woodstock,  Vt. 

SUBSCRIBERS    TO    THE   AMOUNT    OF    TWENTY    DOLLARS. 

John  Ball,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. ;  S.  N.  Bell,  Manchester, 
N.  II. ;  L.  H.  Stone,  Auburndale,  Mass. ;  M.  Brimmer,  Blake 
Brothers,  and  H.  Hunnewell,  of  Boston. 

The  following  presented  sums  less  than  twenty  and  more 
than  ten  dollars  :  — 

Pond  &  Dunklee,  and  W.  K.  Lewis  &  Brothers,  of  Boston ; 
Onslow  Stearns,  Concord,  N.  H. 

SUBSCRIBERS   TO    THE   AMOUNT   OF   TEN   DOLLARS. 

Alpheus  Crosby,  John  Bertram,  George  Peabody,  and 
Moses  A.  Farmer,  of  Salem,  Mass. ;  Edwin  Stoughton,  Wind- 


APPENDIX.  359 

sor,  Vt. ;  H.  A.  Ward,  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  Thaddeus  Fair- 
banks, Horace  Fairbanks,  Franklin  Fairbanks,  and  W.  P. 
Fairbanks,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.;  Geo.  B.  McCarter,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ;  Charles  Marsh,  Woodstock,  Vt. ;  Arthur  C. 
Page,  Eastman,  Ga. ;  Gyles  Merrill,  St.  Albans,  Vt. ;  L.  B. 
Ward,  Providence,  R.  I. ;  J.  C.  Delano,  New  Bedford,  Mass. ; 
I.  A.  Laphain,  Milwaukee,  Wis. ;  Nathaniel  White,  \Varde, 
Humphrey,  &  Co.,  George  A.  Blanchard,  Abbott,  Downing, 
&  Co.,  McFarland  &  Jenks,  E.  C.  Eastman  &  Co.,  and  the 
"  Daily  Monitor,"  of  Concord,  N.  H. ;  Edward  L.  Wilson, 
Philadelphia  ;  Henry  M.  Mansur,  L  N.  Andrews,  H.  P.  Parker 
&  Co.,  M.  H.  Stimpson,  Tower,  Giddings,  &  Torrey,  E. 

Whitney,   Edward  Austin,  W and    C ,  G.  Higgin- 

son,  Fields,  Osgood,  &  Co.,  H.  N.  Clark  &  Co.,  Little,  Brown, 
&  Co.,  R.  H.  Stearns,  Chauncey  Smith,  Freeland,  Beard,  & 
Richardson,  J.  W.  Edmonds,  S.  D.  Warren,  John  J.  May, 
Whitton  &  Brothers,  George  Howe,  W.  Endicott,  Jr.,  J.  H. 
Lowell,  William  Perkins,  John  T.  Bradlee,  J.  H.  Pray,  Son, 
&  Co.,  and  G.  B.  Putnam,  of  Boston ;  Rev.  S.  P.  Leeds,  of 
Hanover,  N.  H. 

OTHER    SUBSCRIBERS   AND   FRIENDS. 

Our  list  shows  the  names  of  fifty-three  persons,  largely 
from  Boston,  who  contributed  sums  less  than  ten  dollars.  To 
tlu-se  should  be  added  twenty-five  other  persons  who  signed 
themselves  "  C^sh  "  on  the  subscription  book. 

The  following  firms  and  individuals  have  aided  us  in  very 
important  ways,  often  saving  us  the  expenditure  of  large  sums 
of  money,  besides  contributing  supplies  of  various  kinds  :  — 

Signal  Service,  War  Department,  U.  S.  Army. 

Boston,  Lowell,  and  Nashua  Railroad. 

Concord  Railroad. 

Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad. 


360  APPENDIX. 

Mt.  Washington  Railway  Company. 

Western  Union  Telegraph  Company. 

California  Wine  Company. 

Sylvester  Marsh,  Littleton,  N.  H. 

James  Green,  New  York  City. 

Hamilton  A.  Hill,  Secretary  Board  of  Trade,  in  Boston. 

Henry  Edwards,  Boston. 


INDEX. 


Abortive  effort,  10. 

Alpine  region  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton, 3-1. 

Altitudes,  29  ;  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton, 31  ;  obtained,  41. 

Arctic  climate  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton, 32. 

Approaches  to  Mount  Washington, 
60. 

Ascent  of  Mount  Washington  in 
winter,  101  ;  of  November  30, 
103  ;  of  February  8,  112. 

Aiken,  Walter,  71. 

A iken,  Charles  L.,  14,  71. 

Aurora,  147,  173,  242. 

Adams,  Mount,  231. 

A  day's  tramp  amid  the  clouds, 
270. 

Abbe,  Prof.,  283. 

An  ice  mystery  of  science,  352. 

Arctic  and  Mount  Washington  cli- 
mate compared,  305. 

Hall,  Dr.  B.  L.,  47, 114. 
IVittle  of  the  clouds,  275. 
IJemis,  Dr.  S.  A  ,  41. 
Boulders  on  Mount  Washington, 

73. 

Boulders  on  Moosilauke,  90. 
Bourne  Monument,  46,  102,  110. 
Botany  of  Mount  Washington,  33, 

38." 


Brakes,  69,  78. 

Bombardment  of  ice,  167, 178, 192. 

Burbeck,  C.,  219. 

Bureau  of  Telegrams,  282. 

Casualties  on  Mount  Washington,. 

46. 

Carriage  road,  15,  61. 
Champlain  Lake,  1. 
Christinas,  171. 
Clement,  James,  88. 
Cloud  views,  91,  97,  172,  175,  178, 

196,  219,  258,  288,  291. 
Clough,  A.  F.,  5, 18, 23, 90,  93,  99, 

103,  108, 133,  168, 213,  216,  302. 
Cogswell,  113, 189. 
Cog-rail,  67, 81. 
Coldest  weather,  177, 182, 185. 
Corona,  172,  178,  222,  224. 
Culver  Hall,  21. 
Crawford,  Abel,  39,  40;  E.  A.,  39, 

40,    43,    60 ;    bridle-path,    60  ; 

House,  46. 

Commerce  benefited,  16. 
Circulars,  7,  16. 
Chandler,  Benjamin,  47, 114. 
Card -basket,  346. 

Difficulties,  13. 
Depot,  construction  of,  157. 
Descent,  perilous.  98. 
Door  blown  in,  165. 


362 


INDEX. 


Early  history  of  expedition,  1. 

Exploration  of  White  Mountains, 
36. 

Engine,  68,  70,  80. 

Electrical  phenomena,  151. 

Experience  against  expedition,  58. 

Excitements  on  Mount  Washing- 
ton, 155. 

Exhaustion  of  supplies,  350. 

Early  winter  visits  to  Mount  Wash- 
ington, 50. 

Funds  raised,  17. 

Field,  C.  A.,  21. 

Field,  Darby,  36. 

First  visit  to  Mount  Washington, 
36. 

First  ladies  on  Mount  Washington, 
39. 

First  house  on  Mount  Washington, 
43. 

First  winter  visit  to  Mount  Wash- 
ington, 51. 

Fabyan  House,  45. 

Fabyan  Turnpike,  61,  64. 

Frost-work,  285. 

Gates,  G.  W.,  20. 

Geological  survey,  4,  24,  27. 

Glen  House,  46. 

Grant,  Pres.,  visit  to  railway,  85. 

Giant's  Grave,  40,  45,  60,  65. 

Gales,  93,  177,  183,  192,  200. 

Henry,  Prof.,  2. 

Hitchcock,  C.  H.,  1,  4,  7,  9, 11, 13, 

15,  20,  23,  27,  111,  164, 169,  196, 

219,257,264,  266,270. 
Hitchcock.  Col.,  4,  6,  44. 
Huntington,  J.  H.,  2,  4,  8,  12, 14, 

20,23,  87, 113,133,  137,  147, 163, 

174,  187,  206,  252,  302. 
Holden,  L.  L.,  112, 156, 189,  225, 

229,  236,  238. 


House  creaks,  167, 184. 
Hall,  Alonzo,  219. 
Hill,  Rev.  Pres.,  28. 

Instruments  used,  310. 
Ice  columns,  96. 

Jackson,  Dr.  C.  T.,  29,  39. 
Jacob's  Ladder,  67,  72,  83,  107, 

150, 152. 
Journal   by  Huntington,  163  ;  by 

Kimball,  137  ;  by  Wilson,  169. 

Kimball,  H.  A.,  18,  23,  103,  136, 
169  ;  almost  another  monument, 
108. 

Kerite  wire.  9,  10,  15,  148  ;  re- 
paired, 152, 174, 187, 199. 

Kilburn,  B.  W.,  208. 

Life  on  the  summit,  155. 
Litigation  about  summit,  45. 
Laying  the  cable,  148. 
Little,  William,  5, 130. 

Moosilauke,  5,  87,  136. 
Mount  Cenis  Railway,  75. 
Myer,  General,  9, 19. 
Members  of  the  expedition,  23. 
Maps  of  the  White  Mountains,  27. 
Model  of  White  Mountains,   by 

Pres.  Hill,  23. 
Model  of  White  Mountains,  by  C. 

II.  Hitchcock,  28. 
Mount  Washington,  height  of,  31. 
Mount     Washington,     origin    of 

name,  38. 
Mount  Washington  Railway,  62  ; 

building  of,  66  ;  route   of,   71  ; 

officers,  77. 
Mount  Washington,  shadow  of, 

171,  176. 
Measuring  the  wind,  93,  174, 177, 

183,  191. 


INDEX. 


363 


Mad  Mount  Washington  philoso- 
phers, 351. 

Marsh,  Sylvester,  7,  63,  77, 82,  83. 
Marshfield,  61,  105,  149, 166,  189. 

Noyes,  48. 

Notch  House,  45. 

Naming  of  mountain  peaks,  41. 

Nelson,  S.  A.,  11,  23,  169,  257,  267, 

270. 
Nutter,  Mr.,  210. 

Osgood,  Sheriff,  51. 

Powder  House  Mill  Expedition,  348. 
Patents  of  Mr.  Marsh,  77. 
Photographing,  132,  142. 
Pendulum,  177. 
Pulse  by  telegraph,  196. 
Photographers,  18. 
Physical  character  of  White  Moun- 
tains, 24. 

Reports  for  benefit  of  commerce, 

282. 

Righi,  Mount,  Railway,  76. 
Riiilway,  Mount  Washington.  (See 

Mount  Washington.) 
Railway  depot,  6,  14. 
Rogers,  Dr.,  210. 
Rare  snow-flakes,  347. 
Retardation  of  science,  350. 

Sable,  140,  170. 

Smithsonian  Institution,  2. 

Signal  service,  9, 146. 

Smith,   Theodore,  19,  28,140,  149, 

168,  171,  174,  176. 
Summit  House,  43. 
Spaulding,  J.  H.,44,  52. 
Shadow  of  Mount    Washington, 

175, 176. 

Sanborn,  J.  J..  67. 
Sliding  down  hill,  74, 176. 


Strickland,  46. 

Sunrises,  137, 170,  175,  178,  264. 

Scientific  dispatch,  197. 

Stoves,  smoking,  167. 

Storms,  301. 

Startling  discovery,  347. 

Telegrapher,  19,  22  ;  telegraphing, 
146  ;  from  Hanover,  20,  249. 

Topography  of  the  mountains,  25. 

Tuckerman,  E.,  33,  36,  39,  42. 

Tip-top  House,  application  for,  3  ; 
refused,  6,  44. 

Turkey,  190. 

Twin  River  Farm,  65. 

Tuckerman's  Ravine,  124,  217, 
267. 

Tower  on  Mount  Washington,  50. 

Tip-top  House  in  a  storm,  349. 

Thawing  and  freezing,  353. 

Thompson,  Eben  252. 

Visitors  to  Mount  Washington,  39. 

View  from  Moosilauke,  40,  94. 

Views  from  Mount  Washington 
northward  and  eastward,  118  ; 
oceanward,  123,  260  ;  southward 
and  westward,  126  ;  into  Great 
Gulf,  119  ;  up  the  Androscog- 
gin,  121  ;  towards  Winnipiseo- 
gee,  127  ;  down  the  Ammonoo- 
sue,  127. 

White  Mountain  Range,  24. 
Winds,  severe,  141,  165,  169,  171, 

174,  176, 178,  180,  182,  184, 191, 

197,  29-3.  294. 

Windows  broken,  178, 192. 
Western   Union    Telegraph    Co., 

154,  193. 

Waumbek  Junction,  66,  71. 
White  Mountain  House,  45. 
Wilson,  E.  L.,  208. 
What  the  world  said  of  us,  345. 


THE  WHITE  HILLS, 

— THEIR — 

LEGENDS,  LANDSCAPE,  AND  POETRY. 

BY  THOS.  STARR  KING. 


"  The  object  of  this  volume  is  to  direct  attention  to  the  noble 
landscapes  that  lie  along  the  routes  by  which  the  White  Moun- 
tains are  now  approached  by  tourists,  many  of  which  are  still  un- 
known to  travellers  ;  to  help  persons  appreciate  landscape  more 
adequately,  and  to  associate  with  the  principal  scenes  poetic  pas- 
sages which  illustrate  either  the  permanent  character  of  the  views, 
or  some  peculiar  aspect  in  which  the  author  of  the  book  has  seen 
them." 

In  a  notice  of  the  last  edition,  the  BOSTON  POST  says  :  "  It  is  now 
eleven  years  since  these  sketches  of  our  most  beautiful  New  Eng- 
land Scenery  were  first  published,  in  which  time  they  have  by  no 
means  lost  their  freshness,  but  rather  gained  in  interest  as  the  ac- 
quaintance with  the  scenes  which  they  describe  has  become  more 
general. — They  are  too  well  known  and  too  universally  admired  to 
need  commendation  at  this  late  day,  but  the  exquisite  style  in 
which  they  are  now  issued  adds  a  new  feature  to  their  beauty. 
There  are  few  subjects,  or  few  treatments  of  any  subject,  which 
afford  such  opportunities  for  artistic  embellishment  as  this,  and  the 
poetry  and  sentiment  of  Mr.  King's  sketches  beautifully  embalm 
the  accompanying  gems  of  art.  These  consist  of  a  number  of 
very  fine  photographs  of  different  scenes  among  the  White  Moun- 
tains, and  sixty  beautifully  engraved  woodcuts.  The  photographs 
are  not  only  valuable  for  their  fidelity,  but  remarkably  well  selec- 
ted for  picturesque  effect,  while  the  woodcuts  are  exquisitelv 
drawn  and  engraved. 

Together  the  pictures  make  an  illustrated  gallery  of  the  White 
Mills  as  pleasant  as  Mr.  King's  essays.  The  whole  style  of  the 
book  is  in  keeping.  The  letter  press  is  clear  and  fine,  and  the  im- 
pressions of  the  woodcuts  are  faultless." 

Cloth,  8vo.,  Bev.  edges,  gilt  top,  60  illustrations,  •  $3.50 
Half  calf  with  60  illustrations  and  photographs,  -  6.00 
Morocco  "  -  9.00 

CHICK  &  ANDREWS, 

21  FRANKLIN  ST.,  BOSTON. 


HISTORY 


— OF  THE — 


WHITE   MOUNTAINS, 

BY  BENJ.  G.  WILLEY. 


The  author  was  a  brother  to  the  unfortunate  occu- 
pant of  the  well  known  "  Willey  House,"  who  with  all 
his  family  were  distroyed  by  the  memorable  slides  of 
August,  1826 

It  contains  the  fullest  account  ever  written  of  the 
Slides  and  the  destruction  of  the  Willey  Family.  Among 
other  illustrations  it  contains  one  from  Thos.  Hill's  cel- 
ebrated painting  representing  the  notch  the  morning 
after  the  slides.  It  is  the  fullest  and  most  complete 
history  of  the  Mountains  ever  published,  and  contains 
many  interesting  anecdotes  of  the  earlier  settlers,  with 
many  of  the  Indian  legends  and  traditions. 

i  Vol.,  i6mo  cloth,  illustrated,     .     ,     $1.50 


CHRISTUS  JIIDEX, 

BY   EDWARD    ROTH. 


A  very  interesting  and  charming  legend  of  that  curi- 
ous freak  of  nature  known  as  the  "  GREAT  STUNK  FACE," 
or  "  The  Old  Man  of  the  Mountains.''  No  one  who 
has  looked  upon  the  cold  massive  features  of  the  origi- 
nal should  fail  to  read  this  story. 

i  Vol.,  cloth, $1.00 

CHICK  &  ANDREWS,    PUHLISHERS, 

21   FRANKLIN  ST.,  BOSTON. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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